2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0501
ENGROSSED
1SF0103
SENATE FILE NO. SF0103
Terminating and defunding diversity, equity and inclusion.
Sponsored by: Senator(s) Steinmetz, Boner, Hicks, Hutchings
and Jones and Representative(s) Angelos,
Haroldson, Lawley, Neiman and Smith, S
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to the administration of the government;
2 generally prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion
3 efforts and mandates by state agencies and educational
4 institutions; conditioning the expenditure of appropriated
5 funds as specified; specifying applicability; and providing
6 for an effective date.
7
8
9
10. W.S. 9-2-1014.4 and 21-16-2001 are created
11 to read:
12
13
14
15 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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2SF01031 (a) As used in this section:
2
3 (i) "Diversity, equity and inclusion" includes
4 any of the following:
5
6 (A) Influencing hiring or employment
7 practices with respect to race, sex, color or ethnicity,
8 other than through the use of race and gender neutral
9 practices in accordance with any applicable state and
10 federal law;
11
12 (B) Promoting differential treatment of or
13 providing special benefits to persons on the basis of race,
14 color or ethnicity;
15
16 (C) Promoting policies or procedures
17 designed or implemented in reference to race, color or
18 ethnicity, except for policies or procedures necessary to
19 comply with any state law, federal law or applicable court
20 order;
21
22 (D) Conducting trainings, programs or
23 activities designed or implemented in reference to race, 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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1 color, ethnicity or gender dysphoria, except for trainings,
2 programs or activities that are for the sole purpose of
3 ensuring compliance with state law, federal law or any
4 applicable court order.
5
6 (ii) "Entity" means any governmental unit,
7 special district, corporation, partnership or person that
8 will receive a legislative appropriation, including
9 agencies of the executive branch, the offices of the five
10 (5) statewide elected officials, the legislature, the
11 judiciary, community colleges, the University of Wyoming,
12 the Wyoming department of transportation, the game and fish
13 department, counties, municipalities and school districts;
14
15 (iii) "Federally recognized Indian tribe" means
16 a tribal government and its citizens who have an
17 acknowledged government-to-government relationship with the
18 United States of America.
19
20 (b) As a condition of receiving or expending any
21 monies or funds appropriated, each entity shall not expend
22 any appropriated funds or funds received from bequests,
23 charges, deposits, donations, endowments, fees, grants, 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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4SF0103
1 gifts, tuition and any other source for programs or
2 activities that, unless federal law otherwise requires:
3
4 (i) Establish or maintain a diversity, equity
5 and inclusion office or program;
6
7 (ii) Hire or assign an employee or a contracted
8 person to perform the duties associated with a diversity,
9 equity and inclusion office or program;
10
11 (iii) Compel, require, induce or solicit any
12 person to provide or abide by a diversity, equity and
13 inclusion statement or give preferential treatment to any
14 person based on a diversity, equity or inclusion statement;
15
16 (iv) Give preference on the basis of race, sex,
17 color, ethnicity or national origin to an applicant for
18 employment, an employee or a participant in any core
19 function of the entity;
20
21 (v) Require, as a condition of employment,
22 enrollment, a contract or the receipt of funds, the
23 participation in diversity, equity and inclusion training. 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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1
2 (c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to:
3
4 (i) Prohibit the use or consideration of bona
5 fide qualifications based on sex that are reasonably
6 necessary to the normal operation of public higher
7 education;
8
9 (ii) Prohibit the University of Wyoming or
10 Wyoming community colleges, or an employee thereof, from
11 submitting documentation or a statement for purposes of a
12 grant or to comply with accreditation requirements;
13
14 (iii) Prohibit the provision of support
15 services, including trainings, intended to familiarize
16 students, faculty and staff with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe
17 and the Northern Arapaho Tribe, or other federally
18 recognized Indian tribes or groups identified as a
19 political class, classification or identity.
20
21 (d) For purposes of this section, "diversity, equity
22 and inclusion office or program" shall not include:
23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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6SF01031 (i) Academic course instruction;
2
3 (ii) The completion or dissemination of
4 scholarly research or creative works by students, faculty
5 and other research personnel of the University of Wyoming
6 or Wyoming community colleges;
7
8 (iii) An activity of a student organization
9 registered with or recognized by the University of Wyoming
10 or a Wyoming community college;
11
12 (iv) Guest speakers or performers at the
13 University of Wyoming or a Wyoming community college on a
14 short-term engagement;
15
16 (v) Data collection.
17
18 (e) The following shall apply to this section:
19
20 (i) Federally recognized Indian tribes and their
21 citizens are recognized by federal law and court rulings as
22 a political class, classification or identity. Tribes and 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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1 their members are not a race or a racial classification for
2 purposes of this section;
3
4 (ii) As a political class, classification or
5 identity, federally recognized Indian tribes and programs,
6 degrees, classes or endowments related to federally
7 recognized Indian tribes or Indian history, culture,
8 language and traditions, are not diversity, equity and
9 inclusion as defined by this section. Nothing in this
10 section shall be construed to apply to federally recognized
11 Indian tribes.
12
13 ARTICLE 20
14 DIVERSITY RELATED INITIATIVES AND FUNDING
15
16
17
18
19 (a) As used in this section:
20
21 (i) "Constrain" means failure during any
22 semester or academic unit to provide sufficient open seats
23 in alternative courses for a student to complete or 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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1 progress toward completion of degree or program
2 requirements;
3
4 (ii) "Related content" does not include
5 identifying and discussing historical movements, ideologies
6 or instances of racial hatred or discrimination, including
7 but not limited to slavery, Indian removal, the Holocaust
8 or Japanese-American internment;
9
10 (iii) "Related course" means any course whose
11 course description, course overview, course objectives,
12 proposed student learning outcomes, written examinations or
13 written or oral assignments for which the student will
14 receive a grade that includes related content;
15
16 (iv) "Related practice":
17
18 (A) Includes any requirement or guidance
19 that a course instructor include or curate materials on the
20 basis of race, sex or gender dysphoria;
21 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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9SF01031 (B) Includes participating in any workshop,
2 training, seminar or professional development on any
3 related content;
4
5 (C) Does not include any programming
6 explicitly required by, and limited to, the institutional
7 obligations to comply with state or federal law or an
8 applicable court order.
9
10 (b) In prescribing the studies to be pursued at the
11 University of Wyoming or a Wyoming community college, the
12 board of trustees of the University of Wyoming and the
13 district boards of each community college shall establish
14 curricula and designate courses in a manner that does not
15 require or constrain students to expend tuition or other
16 funds on, or enroll in, a related course in order to
17 satisfy the requirements of any academic degree program,
18 including general education, major, minor or certificate
19 requirements, subject to subsection (d) of this section.
20
21 (c) The board of trustees of the University of
22 Wyoming and the district boards of each community college,
23 or any employee or professional thereof, shall not require, 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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1 solicit or incentivize faculty or students to apply or
2 participate in related practices, or include related
3 content in any required course, as a condition of approval,
4 designation or listing as part of any academic degree
5 program, including any major, minor or certificate
6 requirements or as a condition of consideration in any
7 faculty member's performance assessment, tenure, salary
8 adjustment or any other incentive, subject to subsection
9 (d) of this section.
10
11 (d) Academic degree program requirements of any
12 major, minor, certificate or department whose title clearly
13 establishes its course of study as primarily focused on
14 racial, ethnic or gender studies may be exempted from the
15 requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this section in
16 writing by the board of trustees or the district board, as
17 applicable, subject to the following:
18
19 (i) No student shall be required or constrained
20 to enroll in any exempted program, department or course to
21 satisfy the requirements of any other academic degree
22 program;
23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-0501
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11SF01031 (ii) The title of any currently established
2 department, major, minor or certificate program shall not
3 be altered or replaced to establish an emphasis on racial,
4 ethnic or gender studies.
5
6.
7
8 (a) This act shall apply to all funds that are
9 appropriated or received on and after the effective date of
10 this act.
11
12 (b) Nothing in this act shall be construed to alter,
13 amend or impair any contract or other agreement entered
14 into before the effective date of this act.
15
16. This act is effective immediately upon
17 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
18 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
19 Constitution.
20
21 (END)