Louisiana Republicans take aim at DEI on college campuses
Republicans in Louisiana are attempting to follow other conservative states in taking action against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs on college campuses.
Republicans in Louisiana are attempting to follow other conservative states in taking action against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs on college campuses.
According to the Louisiana Illuminator, two bills have been introduced in the legislature that target DEI.
Republican State Sen. Alan Seabaugh told the outlet that his bill, Senate Bill 486, would make any DEI program in the state illegal by banning “unlawful discrimination” that’s based on race, color, sex, national origin or ethnicity.
Citing Louisiana State University’s name change of its DEI department to the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX, Seabaugh said his bill targets what the departments do, not just the name of it.
[RELATED: LSU walks back DEI, removes ‘Dismantling the System’ videos from website]
“That’s why I didn’t put the I didn’t focus on the name of the program,” he said. “I focused on what it actually did.”
“Being required to write diversity statements, being required to make land acknowledgment statements before they make presentations, being required to do all of that,” Seabaugh said. “There’s no place for that.”
[RELATED: Crenshaw proposes bill to end funding for schools with mandatory DEI statements]
His bill would ban student fees from being used for DEI programming and would force schools to set up a reporting system where the community can submit reports of potential violations.
Republican Rep. Emily Chenevert wrote House Bill 904 that would require reporting of DEI spending since 2021 at public K-12 schools, colleges, and universities in the state.
