2024 Regular Session - Day 52 - SB 6, Rep. Jennifer Decker

thank you Mr Speaker I'm ask that Senate bill that house committee substitute two to Senate Bill six be read please be reported they only ad one which makes it okay thank you CL please report house committee substitute one house committee substitute one to Senate Bill six lman Shelby Mr Mr Speaker Senate this committee sub would allow our public postsecondary institutions to return their focus to providing students with a high quality academic instruction in an environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all this bill would put an end to the failed expensive and discriminatory Dei initiatives at our public postsecondary schools in Kentucky in addition this bill would allow our state colleges and universities once again to Foster critical thinking skills and to engage in constructive dialogue to accomplish these goals this bill would ensure the public postsecondary system in Kentucky is held accountable to dismantle the misguided Dei bureaucracies that have CA Kentucky taxpayers an unknown amount but at least tens if not thousand hundreds of thousand millions of dollars over the past 13 years a time period in which our campuses have also experienced a dramatic drop in overall enrollment of students while the Council on postsecondary Education First required adherence to a Statewide diversity plan in 2011 the idea was to that embracing Dei policies would benefit ky's lowincome and historically underrepresented minori just yesterday however the Attorney General of Kentucky decided that by defining underrepresented minorities exclusively in terms of race our state's diversity plans violate the United States Constitution and the Civil Rights Act cpe's data proves that since 2011 the enrollment of lowincome in State students on our campuses has dropped by nearly 34% and the enrollment of lowincome instate black students has plummeted by nearly 42% clearly the Dei experiment of building an enormously large higher education Dei bureaucracy in Kentucky has failed to help the very students it purports it it has failed to help them the very students it purports to help through the passage of Senate Bill six as amended by the house committee substitute the general assembly would provide much needed oversight to our public universities which were founded on the promise of equal opportunity for all but have seemingly lost their way specifically Senate Bill six as amended by house committee Subs provides the following it provides that a public postsecondary educational institution shall not provide any differential treatment or benefits to an individual on the basis of the individual's race sex color national origin they may not manipulate or influence the composition of the student body on a based on protected classes they may not provide preferential consideration for vendors contractors or other transaction based on protected class student this public postsecondary institutions under this bill may not make student housing assignments based on protected class with the exception of single seex housing and needs-based Access housing they may not initiate an investigation of a bias incident without an attorney certification they might not hold a bias incident hearing without an attorney certification they may not expend any resources monitary human physical or digital on Dei offices officers trainings and initiatives they may not promote or Justify discriminatory Concepts and they may not purchase promotee or distribute any content or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory Concepts or Dei initiatives they may not compel solicit or consider any pledge or statement on an applicant's experience with or views on religion race sex color or national origin they may not require a Dei course or as a program requirement they can allow the course but not as a requirement for a degree they may not require an individual to attend Dei training they may not require or encourage an individual to endorse a political or social Viewpoint or provide differential treatment or benefits on that basis a public postsecondary school shall adopt a policy on Viewpoint neutrality that prohibits discrimination on the basis of an individual's political or social Viewpoint or promotes intellectual diversity and it promotes intellectual diversity within the institution they shall administer cpe's annual assessment on intellectual freedom and Viewpoint diversity CPE shall not provide any different treatment on the basis or benefits to an individual on the basis of protected class they may not expend any resources monetary human physical or digital on Dei offices Officers Training and initiatives and they may not promote or they they shall not promote or Justify discriminatory Concepts they shall not approve a new degree or certificate program that is not aligned with this act CPE shall develop an annual assessment on individual freedom and Viewpoint diversity for universities to administer annually and they shall eliminate at its discretion existing pro programs that do not align with this act the ACT provides enforcement for its Provisions in that the attorney general and a a private cause of action may be brought for the injunctive and declaratory relief in which a reasonable attorney's fees and cost will be paid this bill waves Sovereign and governmental immunity and provide for retaliation against claimants and witnesses to be prohibited Senate bill nine I'm sorry Senate Bill 6 requires various reporting by the institutions and by CPE another accountability measure CPE and postsecondary schools must provide an annual certified report on governmentally mandated discrimination that contains an exhaustive list and description of all policies programs and procedures on the institution at the institution that are designed or implemented on the basis of protected class but are required by law failure to include an item on this list waves the require that requirement as a defense to an action brought under this act postsecondary schools are to provide monthly Personnel reports so the compensation data for public postsecondary employees may be reported in the same matter and Method as all other state employees are required to be reported CPE and postsecondary schools have a one-time report on that is due on implementation of this act that requires and contains designated items and IT postsecondary schools are required to report on very six very different reports on the historic I'm sorry it requires six one report that will give the historic employment data on Dei employees the ter the bill also has various terms that are defined so that public postsecondary schools and CPE can understand exactly what is meant by various terms in the bill if there are no questions Mr Speaker I move passage of Senate Bill six as amended by house committee sub