Mississippi House and Senate pass separate laws to end DEI, promote merit

Both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature have passed separate pieces of legislation intended to prioritize merit and discourage DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) at public colleges and universities.

On Thursday, the Senate passed S.B. 2515, which would “establish the ‘Mississippi University System Efficiency Task Force’ to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of the public university system in Mississippi.”

[RELATED: Ole Miss announces closure of DEI division]

The task force would be responsible for promoting merit in higher education, as well as discouraging “discriminatory practices.”

”The purpose of Section 4 of this act is to prohibit institutions of higher learning and community colleges from taking certain actions and engaging in discriminatory practices,” the bills reads. “This act seeks to ensure that employment, academic opportunities and student engagement are based solely on individual merit, qualifications and academic performance, without consideration of an individual’s views on diversity, equity an inclusion.”

Section 4 of the legislation provides various definitions of DEI, such as “[a]ny effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of the faculty or student body with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral admissions and hiring in accordance with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.”

The bill would allow the task force to ensure that state colleges and universities do not operate any DEI offices, require mandatory DEI-based training, or provide preferential treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity and related characteristics.

The Senate’s passage of S.B. 2515 comes one day after the Mississippi House of Representatives approved H.B. 1193, which would also implement anti-DEI measures.

”The purpose of this act is to prohibit state institutions of higher learning from taking certain actions and engaging in discriminatory practices,” the bill states. “This act seeks to ensure that employment, academic opportunities, and student engagement are based solely on individual merit, qualifications and academic performance, without consideration of an individual’s views on diversity, equity and inclusion.”

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H.B. 1193 would prevent state colleges from offering courses and programs that promote “divisive concepts” such as “transgender ideology, gender-neutral pronouns, heteronormativity, gender theory, sexual privilege or any related formulation of these concepts.” The bill would also affect DEI policies at K-12 schools.

The Mississippi Legislature’s efforts come as President Trump recently signed an anti-DEI executive order, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” which bans such programs in the federal government.