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N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall said in a press release that this ends “divisive DEI policies for good.”
Bills banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in public schools, community colleges, and universities are now law after Republicans in the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to override vetoes of the bills on Wednesday. Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, vetoed the bills last July. The House also overrode a veto on another bill that would ban DEI in state agencies, which must now be overridden by the Senate.
N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall said in a press release that this ends “divisive DEI policies for good.”
North Carolina’s DEI bans come during a wave of anti-DEI legislation in other states in recent years. South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, and Kentucky are among nearby states that have passed similar bans.
Under the new North Carolina laws, public schools are barred from engaging in “discriminatory practices” or teaching “divisive concepts” to students, with similar restrictions applying to colleges and universities. If the state agency DEI ban passes, state agencies and local governments would be prevented from promoting, supporting, implementing, or maintaining DEI programs, policies, or initiatives.
Another bill, Senate Bill 153, titled the “North Carolina Border Protection Act,” also became law after an override vote on Wednesday. That law, in part, requires University of North Carolina System institutions not to enact policies that restrict federal immigration enforcement.
The votes passed 71-47 along party lines, just clearing the three-fifths requirement to override vetoes in North Carolina. The absence of two members from the House floor allowed Republicans to pass the overrides on their own, without help from Democrats or unaffiliated members.
Source: The Good Men Project
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