Bill > HB1179

This bill prohibits state-supported postsecondary educational institutions in Mississippi from engaging in or supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Specifically, the bill prevents institutions from soliciting pledges or making statements about diversity, equity, and inclusion during hiring, promotion, tenure, employment, admissions, and student disciplinary processes. Institutions are forbidden from expending funds on organizations or programs that they believe discriminate or promote certain controversial concepts about race, sex, national origin, or personal identity. The bill outlines eight specific concepts that institutions cannot compel students or employees to believe, such as inherent racial superiority or collective guilt based on historical actions. Institutions must adopt policies demonstrating a commitment to intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity, and they are prohibited from funding diversity offices or endorsing specific cultural, racial, or lifestyle perspectives beyond what is necessary to uphold constitutional equal protection. The bill defines "expressive activities" as speech protected by the First Amendment, including assemblies, protests, and academic research. The legislation will take effect on July 1, 2025, and applies to all state-supported postsecondary institutions under the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the Mississippi Community College Board.

Education

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB1179.xml