House Bill 9 is a shockingly wide-ranging bill that defunds all DEI initiatives and scholarships at Kentucky colleges, dissolves all departments and staff positions related DEI, prevents public colleges and universities from using resources to promote “discriminatory concepts”: “presenting as truth, rather than as a subject for inquiry,” the existence of systemic racism, sexism or socioeconomic hierarchy. The bill prevents "differential treatment” based on race, sex or other protected categories.
HB 9 also:
- orders all DEI initiatives, offices or positions in Kentucky’s public colleges and universities dissolved by June 30;
- requires the Council on Postsecondary Education to “remove the ‘equity’ priority” from its strategic plan and disband several initiatives, including diversity plans and cultural competency certification programs;
- requires higher education institutions to compile reports of the name, job title and compensation of every individual they’ve employed since 2019 who worked in DEI or whose title, office or job description contained the words, “diversity,” “equity,” “equality,” or “inclusion,";
- gives the Kentucky attorney general the authority to enforce compliance and allows students, their parents, employees or potential students or job candidates to sue schools if they believe the institution has violated the anti-DEI restrictions;
- and disallows students who take courses “dedicated to the justification or promotion” of DEI or “divisive concepts,” would not be able to use those credits towards a degree.
Bill Movement:
Introduced: 1/19/24
Passed Committee: N/A
Passed House: N/A
Accepted by Senate: N/A
Passed Committee: N/A
Passed Senate: N/A
Sent to Governor: N/A
Action by Governor: N/A
