Florida House passes bill targeting university diversity programs
Asher Notheis
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Florida lawmakers have passed a bill aimed at preventing university programs focused on diversity.
The bill, Senate Bill 266, would require Florida’s State Board of Education and State University System’s Board of Governors to appoint faculty committees to review general education core courses. If passed, the bill would allow the reviews to act on the “removal, alignment, realignment, or addition” of various courses, according to News Service of Florida.
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“General education core courses may not distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics … or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities,” the bill reads.
The bill received pushback from Democratic members of the House. However, state GOP Rep. Alex Andrade said the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives this bill would affect have hurt both schools and students.
“DEI’s intellectual fragility makes campuses less safe, less intelligent and less free for the students who should be learning to think for themselves,” Andrade said.
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The bill passed in the House by a vote of 81-34; it had previously passed the Senate, where it was introduced, with a vote of 27-12. The bill now makes its way to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), where it will await his signature.
DeSantis, seen in a positive light by many in the Republican Party, is set to launch his 2024 presidential campaign in mid-May, according to four GOP operatives familiar with the matter.