Ohio could pass comprehensive DEI ban in higher ed in 2025
The bill would have ‘[p]rohibit[ed] any mandatory programs or training courses regarding DEI,’ among other anti-DEI measures.
‘Some people who have opposed it may wish that they supported 83 in this GA versus the version of the bill that may come out next year,’ Cirino said.
An anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bill that failed to pass the Ohio legislature in 2024 could be debated again and potentially passed next year.
Senate Bill 83, also known as the Enact Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act, passed the Ohio Senate but was not passed by the House in this legislative session.
The bill, sponsored by Republican State Sen. Jerry Cirino, would have made the state’s public colleges and universities “[p]rohibit any mandatory programs or training courses regarding DEI,” “[a]ffirm and declare that the institution will ensure full intellectual diversity,” and “[s]eek out invited speakers who have diverse ideological and political views,” according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.
[RELATED: STURGE: The death of DEI started in 2024 and will accelerate in 2025]
It would also have stopped schools from forcing students and professors to support “a given ideology, political stance, or view of a social policy” and ban forced “diversity statements,” among other comprehensive changes.
The bill previously triggered opposition from students who support DEI.
Though the Ohio House Speaker, Republican Jason Stephens, refused to schedule a vote on the bill, Sirino expressed hope for the next legislative session, wrote the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“I’m feeling very good that if we have to go to the next GA (two-year legislative session), that we will have broad support in the Senate and the House for this important higher education reform bill. . . . Some people who have opposed it may wish that they supported 83 in this GA versus the version of the bill that may come out next year,” Cirino said, according to the Enquirer.
Cirino is also considering potentially going a step further by instituting a blanket DEI ban in the next version of the bill, the Enquirer noted.
More and more states have been taking measures to stop the spread of DEI in higher education.
According to a tracker by Best Colleges, 10 states have passed legislation fighting back against DEI in higher education, and 15 more have introduced such bills.
[RELATED: Study co-led by Rutgers shows that DEI initiatives can increase division and hostility]
Christopher Rufo, a writer and activist against DEI and Critical Race Theory, has recently been invited to meet with President-elect Donald Trump’s team to discuss combatting DEI on campus.
He previously wrote: “I’m going to spend the next 60 days making the argument that President Trump should abolish DEI, restrict critical race theory, shut down the Department of Education, and lay siege to the Ivy League universities, beginning on Day One.”
Campus Reform has reached out to State Sen. Cirino for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
