summary
Introduced
03/25/2025
03/25/2025
In Committee
09/22/2025
09/22/2025
Crossed Over
04/10/2025
04/10/2025
Passed
06/25/2025
06/25/2025
Dead
Vetoed
07/03/2025
07/03/2025
Introduced Session
2025-2026 Session
Bill Summary
AN ACT TO DEMONSTRATE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S INTENT THAT STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND OTHER EMPLOYEES OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION RECOGNIZE THE EQUALITY AND RIGHTS OF ALL PERSONS AND TO PROHIBIT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM PROMOTING CERTAIN CONCEPTS THAT ARE CONTRARY TO THAT INTENT. Whereas, President Trump issued an executive order on January 21, 2025, to ensure that higher education recipients of federal funds comply with all applicable laws prohibiting illegal discrimination and comply with the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, 600 U.S. 181 (2023); and Whereas, in the last fiscal year, North Carolina received $2.4 billion in federal funding for public higher education, demonstrating the importance of ensuring that public institutions of higher education remain in compliance with federal regulations to protect education funding; and Whereas, the General Assembly is committed to ensuring all North Carolina students enrolled in public institutions of higher education receive a meaningful education based on academic excellence, critical thinking, and the free exchange of ideas; and Whereas, it is the State's role to protect the practice of higher education for students and professors; and Whereas, so-called "DEI" programs promote a worldview that demands people, especially young students, judge others based on their race, sex, or other factors and attack true diversity of thought, stifle opportunity, and stoke division; Now, therefore,
AI Summary
This bill aims to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in North Carolina's public higher education institutions by establishing new regulations that prohibit what the bill defines as "discriminatory practices" and "divisive concepts." The legislation requires the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina and the State Board of Community Colleges to adopt policies that prevent institutions from promoting certain ideas about race, sex, and historical narratives. Specifically, the bill prohibits public colleges and universities from maintaining DEI offices, compelling students or employees to affirm specific beliefs, endorsing "divisive concepts" (such as claims about inherent racial or sexual superiority), and hiring employees specifically to promote these concepts. The bill defines numerous "divisive concepts" that institutions cannot promote, including ideas about systemic racism, collective guilt based on race or sex, and critiques of meritocracy. Institutions must annually certify their compliance with these restrictions, and for the 2025 certification, they must also report on implementation details like job reductions and spending changes. The bill explicitly protects First Amendment speech and allows research or academic discussion of these concepts if the institution clearly does not endorse them. The legislation is part of a broader effort to shape academic discourse and prevent what the bill's proponents view as ideologically biased educational practices.
Committee Categories
Education, Government Affairs, Justice
Sponsors (23)
Phil Berger (R)*,
Kevin Corbin (R)*,
Brad Overcash (R)*,
Ted Alexander (R),
Lisa Barnes (R),
Robert Brinson (R),
Dave Craven (R),
Warren Daniel (R),
Carl Ford (R),
Amy Galey (R),
Robert Hanig (R),
Ralph Hise (R),
Mark Hollo (R),
Brent Jackson (R),
Todd Johnson (R),
Dana Jones (R),
Michael Lazzara (R),
Michael Lee (R),
Tim Moffitt (R),
Buck Newton (R),
Bill Rabon (R),
Norman Sanderson (R),
Eddie Settle (R),
Last Action
Placed On Cal For 10/20/2025 (on 09/25/2025)
Official Document
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bill summary
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