Following the bill’s passage after a 68-18 vote, the legislation heads back to the state Senate, which has passed a separate version of the bill. The Senate bill, which passed after a 26-7 vote, would have prohibited universities from requiring students and faculty to “describe the attitude or actions in support of or in opposition to specific ideologies or beliefs” as a condition of admission, employment, promotions, or graduation. The House version modified some of the Senate’s language and took a stronger stance against DEI programs at state universities. The House version would ban race-based scholarships and defund DEI offices and staff positions, as the Associated Press (AP) reported. It also prohibits the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, which oversees public universities, from approving degrees that mandate coursework containing “discriminatory concepts,” the AP explained. State Sen. John Schickel, a Republican, says that diversity initiatives have been blown way out of proportion. “If I’m being wheeled into the emergency room to have brain surgery … do I look around at the brain surgery team and say ‘woah, is there diversity on this team?’” Schickel said in remarks noted by the Courier Journal. “No, I want the best darn team in there with the most expertise.” Other legislators expressed doubt over the bill, raising concern over how it could impact the university going forward. "I'm concerned about the message it sends to our faculty members and concerned about the way it will impact our ability to recruit and retain faculty members," Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, a Democrat, told the Journal. Other Democrats also opposed the legislation, touting the importance of DEI programs. "Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are about creating and sustaining environments that support students and faculty who have been traditionally underrepresented on our college campuses, that make them feel safe and welcome," Democratic state Rep. Nima Kulkarni told Fox News. "It would disallow the teaching of how oppressive governments create systems of inequality through laws and policies that are structured to marginalize minority groups," Kulkarni explained. "Our students deserve to know our history. They deserve to fully explore all of the progress that we have made."The Kentucky House has voted to cut funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion departments at public universities.
