Texas Democrats put DEI back on agenda after sweeping to power
CONGRESS TO PUT AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION IN HOT SEAT OVER DEI RULES TIED TO LAW SCHOOL ACCREDITATION But Hinojosa would face another obstacle: Republican control of the Texas Senate, which must confirm university regent appointments.
Key points
- Texas Democrats are opening their incoming state House majority with a push to clear the way for DEI offices and programs to return to public universities across the state — a move state Republicans are expected to block but that puts the culture-war issue front and center after massive Democratic Party gains in the state.
- "With Republicans in firm control of the Texas state Senate, it’s highly unlikely that any bill seeking to bring back the corrosive and wasteful higher ed DEI regime will make it to the Governor’s desk," Chuck DeVore, chief national initiatives officer for the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), told Fox News Digital.
- Even if the repeal effort fails, conservative policy experts in Texas warn that Democratic appointments to university governing boards could weaken enforcement of the state's DEI restrictions without changing the law.
Kate Bierly, a higher education campaign director at TPPF, told Fox News Digital that Democrats could undermine Texas' 2023 anti-DEI law without repealing it.
Additional details
- We look forward to suing to ensure adherence to Texas law." FEDERAL JUDGE KICKED OFF 'BOTCH JOB' ANTI-DEI CASE AFTER STUNNING APPEALS COURT REBUKE The 2023 anti-DEI law, signed by Republican Gov.
- Still, the effort signals Democrats’ broader intent to roll back one of the GOP’s signature education policies after campaigning heavily on the war in Iran, immigration and affordability.
- Texas A&M maintained that the office and its DEI-related duties had been eliminated and that the raises were unrelated to DEI.
- It also prohibited compelling or soliciting DEI statements from faculty or students, restricted certain preferences based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin and banned mandatory DEI training for students and employees.
- "What will likely happen is that relabeled and disguised DEI programs and classes will make a comeback over the next four years as the Governor’s board of regents appointees gradually get a majority.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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