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Sen. Brandon Creighton said Texas now "leads the entire nation" in education diversity with the passage of a new bill to eliminate offices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) from college campuses.
"#SB17 has passed the Texas Senate. Texas leads the entire nation with the boldest legislation to end #DEI and promote true diversity in higher education," Creighton wrote on April 19 on Twitter.
According to a release on Creighton's Website, Senate Bill 17 would close DEI offices on the campuses of state-funded colleges by the threat of punishment for public universities that operate DEI offices on campus. The bill also affirms the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Title VII, Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, and does not affect any student-led organizations, Creighton said.
"The elevation of DEI offices, mandatory diversity statements, political litmus tests, and diversity training has the opposite effect and only further divides," Creighton said in the release. "DEI programs have become a million-dollar industry at taxpayer-funded institutions–yet they have made no progress advancing or increasing diversity.”
According to the Texas Tribune, the Senate passed SB 17 with a vote of 19-12 after a long debate. Opponents of the bill claim the bill will not help underrepresented groups and undoes decades of efforts to block historical discrimination against minority groups.
"Senate Bill 17 will be a giant step backward in our quest for equal opportunity and equal worth for all," Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) said. "I worry that stifling diversity, equity and inclusion on our academic campuses … will breed the negative attitudes and behaviors typically attributed to ignoramuses while stifling the development of tolerant, enlightened communities."
However, Creighton and supporters argue DEI itself is a form of discrimination that only tolerates one viewpoint and disregards candidates based on merit and qualification.
"Many of these programs have been weaponized to compel speech instead of protecting free speech,” Creighton argued.
Creighton's bill seeks to prevent public higher education institutions across Texas from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices or requiring DEI statements in admissions or hiring. According to a report by the Austin American-Statesman, The bill would prohibit public colleges and universities in Texas from having a DEI office or hiring employees or outside contractors to perform the duties of a DEI office. The bill also blocks any public office that promotes efforts "designed or implemented in reference to race, color, or ethnicity" and bans training or activities "designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation," except those required under state or federal law.
According to the bill's text, the legislation would also prohibit universities from asking current students, employees, contractors, job applicants, and students applying for admission for DEI statements or to endorse an ideology that promotes differential treatment based on race, color, or ethnicity.
If the bill passes the House, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board would create a list of employees who violate certain portions of the bill, which would be shared with Texas public education institution. The bill would also penalize universities that violate its provisions, including fines of either $1 million or 1% of the school's operating expenses, whichever is less. Employees would be placed on unpaid leave for their first violation and fired for their second violation, the American-Statesman reported.