General Assembly Sends Trio of Anti-DEI Bills to Gov. Stein’s Desk
This week, the North Carolina House and Senate passed a trio of anti-DEI bills that dramatically reduce and eliminate the influence of divisive DEI policies in North Carolina K-12 schools, state government, and public institutions of higher education. These three bills are now sitting on Governor Stein’s desk for either his approval or veto.
Three legislative initiatives cracking down on DEI:
Senate Bill 558: Eliminating “DEI” in Public Higher Ed: This legislation would prohibit public institutions of higher education, including the University of North Carolina and community colleges, from promoting and implementing divisive concepts, particularly those associated with DEI programs. The legislation does allow freedom to discuss ideas in an academic setting, but stops the institutions from promoting these ideologies.
Senate Bill 227 Eliminating “DEI” in Public Education: Like the higher education bill, this legislation prohibits divisive concepts from being promoted in public K-12 schools.
House Bill 170 Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI: This legislation eliminates DEI programs throughout North Carolina state government and prevents discriminatory hiring and administrative practices.
Tim’s Take: The Democrats have not learned the lesson of 2024 and are still wholly committed to promoting and implementing discriminatory practices under the banner of DEI. Gov. Stein will likely veto this legislation and its’s unclear if Republicans will be able to successfully override. This means that ending DEI will likely be a key campaign issue for North Carolina Republicans.
