FRANKFORT — After an impassioned but futile push by House Democrats to block a measure that eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Kentucky public universities, the House gave its approval to the bill Wednesday.
House Bill 4 passed in a floor vote of 81-18, largely on party lines. The lone Democrat to vote with Republicans on the bill was Rep. Ashley Tackett Laferty of Martin.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, aims to increase oversight of public colleges and universities to ensure they do not spend dollars on or have employees devoted to DEI programs. The Kentucky proposal is reflective of a nationwide trend of Republican politicians seeking to end DEI across a swath of sectors.
Members of the Kentucky House debated for more than an hour Wednesday afternoon ahead of the vote.
“If education is to be the great equalizer in the commonwealth, the opportunity to obtain a college degree in our state must be equally available and affordable for all,” Decker said in support of her bill. “House Bill 4 would allow our universities and colleges to return to their focus away from social engineering to provide Kentucky students with excellent academic instruction in an environment that fosters critical thinking through open, constructive dialog.
Meanwhile, Democrats largely railed against the measure. Rep. Joshua Watkins, D-Louisville, who pointed out that he is Black to his fellow lawmakers, recalled how he saw an effigy of President Barack Obama hanging on a tree at the University of Kentucky as a student in 2008. Watkins said the incident “created a chilling effect” on campus.
“When I think about bias on our colleges and university campuses in Kentucky, I don’t need to go back to 1865,” Watkins said. “I can go back to 2008.”
A couple of representatives invoked the words of renowned civil rights activist the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — although the representatives differed on how his influence impacted their votes. Wednesday also marked the 61st anniversary of King’s participation in the Freedom March on Frankfort.
“I would ask that the members of this body think long and hard — long and hard — about turning back the clock on what it is that we have in this state and this country, and that we do not go back to a place and a time that there were people that could just simply be put down because of their work, because of their gender, and not by the content of their character,” said Rep. George Brown Jr., D-Lexington. He referenced a line from King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ryan Dotson, R-Winchester, also quoted the speech while speaking in favor of the bill saying lawmakers are “facing the very thing that he was fighting for, based on being hired because you’re good enough, you’re qualified, not because of anything else.”
“I come from a little different perspective because I have two grandchildren, two beautiful grandchildren, that are mixed,” Dotson said. “I don’t want them to grow up thinking they’re entitled to anything. I want them to grow up working hard and pushing forward, just as each and everyone of us should.”
Democratic Whip Lindsey Burke, of Lexington, called a point of order amid the debate, saying Democrats had evidence a lobbyist contacted Decker while she was on the floor about the bill — a violation of House rules. However, after several minutes of meetings in House Speaker David Osborne’s office, he ruled that nothing prohibited had occurred.
The latest version of the bill, updated in a committee substitute, would eliminate DEI offices or employees from Kentucky’s public universities and colleges by June 30. It directs the state auditor of public accounts to complete compliance audits of universities every four years to see if a university spends money on such policies.
The bill also now includes a definition of “indoctrinate,” which it says is “to imbue or attempt to imbue another individual with an opinion, point of view, or principle without consideration of any alternative opinion, point of view, or principle.” Under the legislation, universities could not require students to “enroll in or complete an academic course of which the primary purpose is to indoctrinate participants with a discriminatory concept.”
The bill passed out of the House Committee on Post Secondary Education Tuesday after a tense one-hour meeting. Decker and Michael Frazier, the executive director of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition, addressed the committee for nearly 45 minutes through testimony and questions. To voice opposition, four speakers, including two students, had about 10 minutes total.
After the meeting adjourned, a woman approached lawmakers at the front of the room, challenging them on how the bill would impact her academic work. The committee’s chair, Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, called for Kentucky state troopers to remove her. Four University of Louisville students approached Tipton in the hallway, saying the bill’s backers appear to be trying to ram it through without real debate or listening to students.
Last week, students led protests against the legislation at Kentucky public universities.
House Democrats filed several floor amendments to the bill, though none were adopted.
Decker’s floor amendment passed in a voice vote. It removes requirements for public universities to give the Personnel Cabinet and state treasurer the name, job title, duty station, and salary or wages of each employee each month and post the institution’s annual budget. It also prohibits the Council on Postsecondary Education from approving new academic programs “of which the primary purpose is to indoctrinate participants with a discriminatory concept.”
The bill passed the House on Day 22 of the 30-day legislative session. The bill needs approval from the Senate before the veto period begins on March 15 to ensure the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly would have time to override a likely veto from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. The governor has previously signaled support for DEI programs and initiatives.
During the 2024 session, Decker was the primary sponsor of a bill that also sought to curb DEI initiatives in higher education. That legislation morphed into Senate Bill 6, which died at the end of the session. Last summer, the University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University closed their DEI offices.
Though a revival of last year’s proposal, House Bill 4 comes this year as DEI programs in higher education, the private sector and federal government are under siege by Republicans, including President Donald Trump. In his Tuesday evening address to a joint session of Congress, Trump railed against DEI initiatives while waging other culture war issues.
This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.
