Kansas - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Research and Resources - LibGuides at Women in Engineering ProActive Network

House

House Bill 2105 (Signed into law)
In April 2024, a conference committee agreed to remove the contents of an earlier version of House Bill 2105, which was unrelated to DEI, and replace it with the contents of House Bill 2460. That bill would prohibit public colleges from requiring students or employees to submit diversity statements for admission, hiring, or promotion. The House and Senate both approved the bill, and Gov. Laura Kelly allowed it to become law without her signature. It will take effect on July 1.
House Bill 2460 (the contents of the bill replaced House Bill 2105, which became law without the governor's signature)
In March 2023, State Rep. Steven K. Howe, a Republican, introduced a bill that would prohibit public colleges from requiring students or employees to submit diversity statements for admission, hiring, or promotion. In March 2024, the House passed an amended version of the bill that would reduce the financial penalty colleges would face if they violated the proposed law. In April 2024, the contents of the bill replaced House Bill 2105, which became law without the governor's signature.

Senate

(Budget bill) (Tabled, failed to pass, or vetoed)
In March 2023, State Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Republican, introduced an amendment to a budget bill that would ban public colleges from using diversity, equity, and inclusion statements in hiring decisions. It includes a ban on spending money to require students or employees to "endorse or oppose any ideology, including the ideology of diversity, equity, or inclusion." In April the bill was approved by the House and the Senate. The state's Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, used a line-item veto to reject the provision later that month, and legislators in the House were not able to override it.

Colleges Affected by DEI Legislation

Kansas State University system (six campuses)

Details: The Kansas State University system eliminated the use of diversity statements in hiring and admissions in April 2024 following a directive from the Kansas Board of Regents.

Wichita State University

Details: Wichita State University merged its Office of Diversity and Inclusion with its Office of Student Engagement Advocacy and Leadership to have a more “sustainable utilization of resources” and to “eliminate redundancy in programs.”

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas closed its Office of Multicultural Affairs, its Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, and its Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity, and moved staff members into a new Student Engagement Center; moved its vice provost for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into a new role, vice provost for community impact, with different responsibilities; and changed reporting lines for staff in the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

In the Media

Kansas governor allows anti-DEI bill to become law, vetoes anti-abortion and election bills
TOPEKA — In her latest round of vetoes, Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday announced she was rejecting bills that would restrict voting in the state and funnel tax dollars to anti-abortion centers.
They don’t define DEI, but Kansas lawmakers are attacking it like GOP colleagues elsewhere
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas have joined their GOP counterparts in other states in trying to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on university campuses, but the proposals they’ve advanced are written to avoid having to agree on how to define DEI.
Kansas has a new anti-DEI law, but Gov. Kelly has vetoed bills on abortion and even police dogs
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ Democratic governor on Friday vetoed proposed tax breaks for anti-abortion counseling centers while allowing restrictions on college diversity initiatives approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature to become law without her signature.

What it means

Last March, Kansas legislators introduced two bills targeting DEI initiatives at schools in the state. Under House Bill 2460 the state's postsecondary education institutions would be prohibited from providing admission or aid to students based on their support (or opposition) to a political ideology.

A similar bill from 2023 — House Bill 2105 — was allowed to become law without the governor's signature on April 19, 2024. Any public institution in the state that continues to consider DEI practices for faculty hiring or student enrollment will be fined $10,000 per violation.

The second bill, SB 155, is a budget bill that would ban schools from enacting DEI practices in hiring decisions and spending state funds on requiring students, employees, or contractors to endorse DEI ideology. As of April 6, SB 155 passed in the House and the Senate.

On April 6, 2023 SB 155 passed in the House and the Senate. However, Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the parts of the budget bill related to higher education on April 20, 2023, and it was returned to the House floor.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Research and Resources: Kansas