The Texas legislature has given final approval to a new bill seeking to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at publicly funded universities in the state.
The legislation, known as Senate Bill 17, received final approval from both chambers of the Texas legislature on Sunday. The bill received a vote of 82 to 61 in favor of the final version from the House.
Under the bill’s provisions, Texas universities would be required to dismantle their DEI offices, programs, and mandatory training within the next six months. The hiring practices at these institutions would also need to be “color-blind and sex-neutral.”
However, the bill would not impact admissions, course curriculum, student organizations, faculty research, or data collection. In a move to address concerns about the potential consequences of the legislation, the final version of the bill stipulates that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board must conduct biennial studies to evaluate the effects of these changes on student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates, broken down by race, sex, and ethnicity….