Fernanda Gonzalez
05/01/23
On April 19, Texas Senator Brandon Creighton introduced Senate Bill 17 which aims to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs in public universities in Texas. The bill was passed in the Senate and moved to the House of Representatives for approval.
According to Sen Creighton’s press release,“…DEI programs have become a million-dollar industry at taxpayer-funded institutions-yet they have made no progress advancing or increasing diversity.”
The bill consists of sections including specific rules regarding the prohibition of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices and conducting training, programs, or activities designed to implement race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Assistant Professor of the UTRGV Political Science department, Dr. Álvaro Corral, explained his sentiment about this possible law.
“I am deeply troubled by it.” Corral said, “I admire UTRGV’s mission in terms of being a leading Hispanic service institution in Texas public education.”
Corral explained that for this bill to become a law, the Texas House of Representatives would need to pass an identical bill for the governor to sign.
If the bill of the House is similar but not identical, the bill would have to go to a conference committee to reconcile the bill and produce one single, then, it will need to go back to both chambers for approval, then if passed, go to the governor to sign.
Finally, Corral expressed that this bill has a great chance of being approved.
“It definitely might be a possibility, right. It passed one chamber. It just needs to pass one more,” Corral said “And my understanding is that potentially, the governor will be willing to sign this bill. There are still questions about whether the Texas House will ultimately pass this.”
For updates about the bill, you can visit capitol.texas.gov.
This is Fernanda Gonzalez for Vaquero Radio.
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