Students say Kentucky lawmakers didn’t hear them out on bill eliminating DEI in colleges

by McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern
March 4, 2025

FRANKFORT — College students said their voices weren’t heard during a tense Tuesday morning House committee meeting on a bill that would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Kentucky’s public universities. 

In a party line vote, lawmakers on the House Committee on Postsecondary Education voted 11-4 in favor of the Republican-backed House Bill 4  at the end of the one-hour meeting.

Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, and Michael Frazier, the executive director of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition, addressed the committee for nearly 45 minutes through testimony and questions. 

Four speakers, including two students, had about 10 minutes total to voice their opposition.

“Honestly, it’s just quite frustrating for my existence to be used as a talking point against the systems created to mobilize and motivate our students towards higher education and higher opportunities,” said Kelsey Raymer, a University of Louisville student. “And it sucks that the chair refused to hear us out.”

Decker’s bill would eliminate DEI offices or employees from Kentucky’s public universities and colleges. It also seeks to increase oversight of the institutions to ensure that dollars are not being spent on DEI policies.

Raymer and three other UofL students spoke with the committee’s chair, Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, after the meeting, saying the bill’s backers appear to be trying to ram it through without real debate or listening to students.

Some Democratic lawmakers called for more input from opponents during the hearing. Rep. George Brown Jr., D-Lexington, turned in his seat while Frazier was talking to face Tipton and ask why the presenters had a majority of the meeting time. 

Tipton said after the committee convened at 8 a.m. Tuesday, some committee members had another meeting at 9 a.m. 

“This is not to be a debate between the presenters and the members,” Tipton said after gaveling down Brown’s comments. 

Soon after the meeting adjourned, a woman approached still-seated lawmakers at the front of the room, challenging them on how the bill would impact her academic work. Tipton called for Kentucky state troopers to remove her.

What’s in the bill

Decker filed HB 4 on Feb. 12. At the time, she said in a statement that supporters of the bill “seek to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin, and ensure that our university campuses are free from the failed and misguided DEI policies that have proven only to make higher education less attainable for Kentuckians.” 

Decker carried legislation last year that sought to curb DEI initiatives in Kentucky’s public universities, but it ultimately failed to pass. After the General Assembly recessed, the University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University closed their DEI offices.

The initial version of the bill included policies from the past House and Senate proposals, though the substitute version the committee adopted Tuesday had several changes. They include striking language that would allow individuals to sue if they feel their rights have been violated and adding that the state auditor of public accounts must complete compliance audits of universities every four years to see if a university spends money on DEI initiatives. 

The bill also now includes a definition of “indoctrinate,” which it says is “to imbue or attempt to imbue another individual with an opinion, point of view, or principle without consideration of any alternative opinion, point of view, or principle.” 

During the hearing, Decker and Frazier argued that despite DEI policies in place in higher education, underrepresented students are still left behind. 

“If education is to be the great equalizer in the commonwealth, the opportunity to obtain a college degree in our state must be equally available and affordable to all,” Decker said. 

So far, the bill has 19 Republican co-sponsors. It received the first of three required readings on the House floor Friday.

Tuesday’s committee hearing came on the heels of student-led protests against the legislation at Kentucky public universities last week. 

The U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for DEI initiatives to come under Republican scrutiny after overturning affirmative action policies in universities in 2023. Shortly returning to the White House in January, Republican President Donald Trump took several steps to eliminate DEI policies, including signing an executive order that directed his administration to identify potential civil compliance investigations of corporations, nonprofit organizations, some higher education institutions and more.

The bill now goes to the House for a full floor vote. If the Republican-controlled General Assembly passes Decker’s measure this session, it will likely become state law. With supermajorities in the House and Senate, GOP lawmakers could easily override any veto issued by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. He’s repeatedly signaled support for DEI policies. 

Decker is not the only Kentucky Republican to file a bill this session aimed at rolling back DEI initiatives. Sen. Lindsey Tichenor has filed two pieces of legislation that would eliminate DEI policies in K-12 public schools and state and local governments. Both have been assigned to Senate committees, but had not been given a hearing as of Tuesday morning. 

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

The post Students say Kentucky lawmakers didn’t hear them out on bill eliminating DEI in colleges appeared first on kentuckylantern.com