Kentucky has officially joined a growing list of states moving to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in public higher education after the Republican supermajority in the state legislature voted last week to override Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s vetoes on two controversial reform bills.
The sweeping legislation — House Bill 4 and House Bill 424 — effectively bans DEI programs and enacts a system of performance reviews for public university presidents and faculty, signaling a major shift in how higher education is governed in the Bluegrass State.
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House Bill 4 abolishes DEI offices and prohibits any policies or training programs at public colleges and universities that promote differential treatment based on race, religion, sex, color, or national origin, according to WLKY. It also bans the use of public funds on DEI-related initiatives and bars institutions from requiring or incentivizing students to complete DEI training.
The measure follows a national trend of Republican-led states targeting DEI initiatives, arguing they promote division rather than inclusion.
“With this landmark legislation, Kentucky is joining states across the nation that are recognizing the incompatibility of DEI with the purposes of public universities,” said Timothy Minella, a Senior Fellow at the Goldwater Institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) is going down across the country as Americans reject the hatred and discrimination that hides behind feel-good buzzwords.”
House Bill 424 goes a step further by mandating that university boards conduct performance reviews of presidents and faculty every four years. The law gives boards the authority to remove individuals from leadership or teaching positions if they fail to meet performance standards, regardless of their status within the institution.
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The legislation’s supporters argue it will promote greater accountability and ensure that public funds are directed toward educational outcomes rather than ideological agendas.
Gov. Andy Beshear had vetoed both bills, but with Republicans holding a supermajority in both chambers, the override came swiftly and decisively on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
The legislation has already impacted institutions such as the University of Kentucky, which preemptively shut down its Office for Institutional Diversity and canceled DEI training last summer as the bills advanced through the legislature.
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Now, with the law officially in place, other state universities are expected to follow suit.
Kentucky becomes the latest in a series of states — including Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma — to enact laws restricting or banning DEI programs at publicly funded colleges and universities.
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