On March 14, 2024, a bill to restrict diversity, equity, and
inclusion (DEI) practices in Kentucky's public universities
cleared the House by a vote of 68-18. Senate Bill 6 (An Act
Relating to Postsecondary Institutions) is the most recent
Stop-“WOKE” legislation aimed at eliminating
diversity-related initiatives on state campuses.
Kentucky's SB 6 defines DEI as any policy that promotes or
provides “differential treatment or benefits” on the
basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, etc., and applies
broadly to practices around employment, admission, conferences, and
presentations. The bill follows a conservative agenda in the
Commonwealth to prohibit public universities from spending any
money on DEI offices, employing DEI officers, or providing DEI
training, and would require all existing DEI programs to be
immediately eliminated. The bill would ban race-based scholarships
and prohibit the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education from
approving degrees
