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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
54	54
55	55	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
56	56
57	57	SENATE BILL 845 By: Standridge
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
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63	63	AS INTRODUCED
64	64
65	65	An Act relating to higher education; defining terms;
66	66	directing institution of higher education governing
67	67	boards to ensure certain act ions related to
68	68	diversity, equity, and inclusion do not occur;
69	69	providing discipline procedures for certain
70	70	violations; providing certain construction;
71	71	prohibiting an institution of higher education from
72	72	spending certain funds until submission of certain
73	73	report; requiring institution of higher education
74	74	governing boards to testify be fore certain committees
75	75	regarding certain compliance; directing the State
76	76	Auditor and Inspector to conduct certain audits;
77	77	requiring adoption of certain audit schedule;
78	78	providing for violations; providing cause of action
79	79	for certain violation; requiring the Oklahoma State
80	80	Regents for Higher Education in certain coordination
81	81	to conduct certain biennial study; requiring
82	82	submission of report; allowing letters of
83	83	recommendation for ce rtain employees; providing for
84	84	codification; providing an effective date; and
85	85	declaring an emergency.
86	86
87	87
88	88
89	89
90	90
91	91	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
92	92	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
93	93	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3251 of Title 70, unless there
94	94	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
95	95	A. For the purposes of this section:
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147	147	1. “Institution of higher education ” means an institution of
148	148	higher education within The Oklahoma Sta te System of Higher
149	149	Education; and
150	150	2. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion offic e” means an office,
151	151	division, or other unit of an institution of higher education
152	152	established for the purpose of:
153	153	a. influencing hiring or employment practices at the
154	154	institution with respect to race, sex, color, or
155	155	ethnicity, other than through the use of color -blind
156	156	and sex-neutral hiring processes in accordance with
157	157	any applicable state and federal antidiscrimination
158	158	laws,
159	159	b. promoting differential treatment of or providing
160	160	special benefits to individuals on the basis of race,
161	161	color, or ethnicity,
162	162	c. promoting policies or procedures designed or
163	163	implemented in reference to race, color, or ethnicity,
164	164	other than policies or procedures approved in writing
165	165	by the institution’s general counsel and the Oklahoma
166	166	State Regents for Higher Education for the sole
167	167	purpose of ensuring compliance with any applicable
168	168	court order or state or federal law, or
169	169	d. conducting trainings, programs, or activities designed
170	170	or implemented in reference to r ace, color, ethnicity,
171	171
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222	222	gender identity, or sexual orientation, other than
223	223	trainings, programs, or activities developed by an
224	224	attorney and approved in writing by the institution ’s
225	225	general counsel and the Oklahoma State Regents for
226	226	Higher Education for the s ole purpose of ensuring
227	227	compliance with any applicable court order or state or
228	228	federal law.
229	229	B. The governing board of an institution of higher education
230	230	shall ensure that each unit of the institution:
231	231	1. Does not, except as required by federal law:
232	232	a. establish or maintain a diversity, equity, and
233	233	inclusion office,
234	234	b. hire or assign an employee of the institution or
235	235	contract with a third party to perform the duties of a
236	236	diversity, equity, and inclusion office,
237	237	c. compel, require, induce, or solicit any pe rson to
238	238	provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement
239	239	or give preferential consideration to any person based
240	240	on the provision of a diversity, equity, and inclusion
241	241	statement,
242	242	d. give preference on the basis of race, sex, color,
243	243	ethnicity, or nationa l origin to an applicant for
244	244	employment, an employee, or a participant in any
245	245	function of the institution, or
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297	297	e. require as a condition of enrolling at the institution
298	298	or performing any institution function any person to
299	299	participate in diversity, equity, a nd inclusion
300	300	training, which:
301	301	(1) includes a training, program, or activity
302	302	designed or implemented in reference to race,
303	303	color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual
304	304	orientation, and
305	305	(2) does not include a training, program, or activity
306	306	developed by an attorney and approved in writing
307	307	by the institution’s general counsel and the
308	308	Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for
309	309	the sole purpose of ensuring compliance with any
310	310	applicable court order or state or federal law;
311	311	and
312	312	2. Adopts policies and procedu res for appropriately
313	313	disciplining, including by termination, an employee or contractor of
314	314	the institution who engages in conduct in violation of paragraph 1
315	315	of this subsection.
316	316	C. Nothing in this section may be construed to limit or
317	317	prohibit an instituti on of higher education or an employee of an
318	318	institution of higher education fr om, for purposes of applying for a
319	319	grant or complying with the terms of accreditation by an accrediting
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371	371	agency, submitting to the grantor or accrediting agency a statement
372	372	that:
373	373	1. Highlights the institution ’s work in supporting:
374	374	a. first-generation college students,
375	375	b. low-income students, or
376	376	c. underserved student populations; or
377	377	2. Certifies compliance with state and federal
378	378	antidiscrimination laws.
379	379	D. The provisions of para graph 1 of subsection B of this
380	380	section may not be construed to apply to:
381	381	1. Academic course instruction;
382	382	2. Scholarly research or a creative work by an institution of
383	383	higher education’s students, faculty, or other research personnel or
384	384	the dissemination of the research or work;
385	385	3. An activity of a student organization registered with or
386	386	recognized by an institution of higher education;
387	387	4. Guest speakers or performers on short -term engagements;
388	388	5. A policy, practice, procedure, program, or activity to
389	389	enhance student academic achievement or postgraduate outcomes that
390	390	is designed and implemented without regard to race, sex, color, or
391	391	ethnicity;
392	392	6. Data collection; or
393	393	7. Student recruitment or admissions.
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445	445	E. An institution of higher education shall not spend funds
446	446	allocated to the institution from the Oklahoma State Regents for
447	447	Higher Education for a state fiscal year until the governing board
448	448	of the institution submits to the Legislature and the State Regents
449	449	a report certifying the board of regents ’ compliance with the
450	450	provisions of this section during the preceding state fisca l year.
451	451	The provisions of this subsection shall apply to funds allocated to
452	452	an institution of higher education for the state fiscal year
453	453	beginning July 1, 202 6.
454	454	F. During the interim between each regular session of the
455	455	Legislature, the governing board of each institution of higher
456	456	education, or the board ’s designee, shall testify before the
457	457	committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives with
458	458	responsibility over higher education regarding the board ’s
459	459	compliance with the provisions of this sectio n.
460	460	G. The State Auditor and Inspector shall periodically conduct a
461	461	compliance audit of each institution of higher education to
462	462	determine whether the institution has spent state funds in violation
463	463	of the provisions of this section. The State Auditor and Inspector
464	464	shall adopt a schedule by which compliance audits will be conducted.
465	465	The schedule shall ensure that each institution of higher education
466	466	is audited at least once every four (4) years.
467	467	H. If the State Auditor and Inspector determines pursuant to a
468	468	compliance audit conducted as required by subsection G of this
469	469
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520	520	section that an institution of higher education has spent funds in
521	521	violation of the provisions of this section, t he institution:
522	522	1. Shall cure the violation no later than the one -hundred-
523	523	eightieth day after the date on which the determination is made; and
524	524	2. If the institution fails to cure the violation as required
525	525	by paragraph 1 of this subsection, shall be ineli gible to receive
526	526	increases in funding allocations from the Oklahoma State Rege nts for
527	527	Higher Education for the next fiscal year.
528	528	I. A student or employee of an institution of higher education
529	529	who is required to participate in training in violation of
530	530	subparagraph e of paragraph 1 of subsection B of this section may
531	531	bring an action against the institution for injunctive or
532	532	declaratory relief.
533	533	J. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, in
534	534	coordination with institutions of higher education, shall co nduct a
535	535	biennial study to identify the impact of the implementation of this
536	536	section on the application rate, acceptance rate, matriculation
537	537	rate, retention rate, grade point average, and graduation rate of
538	538	students at institutions of higher education, disa ggregated by race,
539	539	sex, and ethnicity. No later than December 1 of each even -numbered
540	540	year, the State Regents shall electronically submit to the President
541	541	Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
542	542	Representatives a report on the results of the study and any
543	543	recommendations for legislative or other action.
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595	595	K. An institution of higher education may provide to each
596	596	employee in good standing at the institution whose position is
597	597	eliminated as a result of implementation of the provisions of this
598	598	section a letter of recommendation for employment for a position at
599	599	the institution or elsewhere.
600	600	SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
601	601	SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
602	602	of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
603	603	declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
604	604	be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
605	605
606	606	60-1-49 EB 1/16/2025 9:18:39 AM

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB845 Compare Versions