Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 846 By: Standridge
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5 AS INTRODUCED
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6 An Act relating to higher education; creating the
6 Stop DEI Act; providing short title; defining terms;
7 requiring institution of higher education governing
7 boards to establish certain curricula and designate
8 courses in certain manner; prohibiting an institution
8 and certain individuals from requiring, soliciting,
9 or incentivizing participation in certain practices
9 or content; providing certain exemption; directing
10 alleged violations to be submitted to the Oklahoma
10 State Regents for Higher Education on certain form;
11 directing the State Regents to adopt certain policy;
11 requiring policy to include certain procedures;
12 directing an institution found in certain violation
12 to be ineligible to receive certain allocations;
13 requiring submission of certain annual report on
13 certain date; providing for contents of report;
14 providing certain construction; providing for
14 codification; providing an effective date; and
15 declaring an emergency.
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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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19 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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20 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3260 of Title 70, unless there
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21 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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22 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Stop DEI
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23 Act".
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24 B. For the purposes of this section:
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Req. No. 720 Page 1
1 1. "Constrain" means failure during any semester of an academic
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2 year to provide sufficient open seats in alternative courses for a
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3 student to complete or progress toward completion of a degree or
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4 program requirements;
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5 2. "DEI-CRT" means diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical
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6 race theory;
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7 3. "DEI-CRT related course" means any course with a
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8 description, course overview, course objectives, proposed student
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9 learning outcomes, written examinations, or written or oral
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10 assignments for which the student will receive a grade that includes
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11 DEI-CRT related content;
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12 4. "DEI-CRT related content" means content that does one or
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13 more of the following:
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14 a. relates any of the following topics to contemporary
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15 American society: critical theory, whiteness,
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16 systemic racism, institutional racism, anti-racism,
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17 microaggressions, systemic bias, implicit bias,
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18 unconscious bias, intersectionality, gender identity,
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19 social justice, cultural competence, allyship, race-
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20 based reparations, or race-based privilege, race- or
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21 gender-based diversity, race- or gender-based equity,
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22 or race- or gender-based inclusion,
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23 b. promotes the idea that racially neutral or color-blind
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24 laws, policies, or institutions perpetuate oppression,
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1 injustice, race-based privilege including white
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2 supremacy or white privilege, or inequity by failing
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3 to actively differentiate on the basis of race, sex,
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4 or gender,
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5 c. promotes the differential treatment of any individual
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6 or groups of individuals based on race or ethnicity in
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7 contemporary American society,
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8 d. promotes the idea that a student is biased on account
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9 of his or her race or sex, or
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10 e. does not include identifying and discussing historical
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11 movements, ideologies, or instances of racial hatred
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12 or discrimination including, but not limited to,
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13 slavery, Indian tribe removal, the Holocaust, or
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14 Japanese-American internment;
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15 5. "DEI-CRT practices" means:
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16 a. any requirement or guidance that a course instructor
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17 include or curate materials on the basis of the race,
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18 sex, or gender identity of an author or authors, or
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19 b. participating in any workshop, training, seminar, or
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20 professional development on any DEI-CRT related
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21 content.
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22 DEI-CRT practices does not mean any programming explicitly required
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23 by and limited to an institution of higher education's obligations
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24 to comply with: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as
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Req. No. 720 Page 3
1 amended; the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended; the Age
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2 Discrimination in Employment Act, as amended; Title VI of the Civil
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3 Rights Act of 1964; or an applicable court order; and
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4 6. "Institution of higher education" means an institution of
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5 higher education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher
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6 Education.
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7 C. The governing board of each institution of higher education
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8 shall establish curricula and designate courses at the institution
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9 in a manner that does not constrain or require students to enroll in
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10 a DEI-CRT related education, major, minor, or certificate
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11 requirement, except as provided for in subsection E of this section.
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12 D. An institution of higher education or any employee,
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13 appointee, or committee acting on behalf thereof may not require,
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14 solicit, or incentivize faculty to apply or participate in DEI-CRT
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15 practices or include DEI-CRT related content in any course as a
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16 condition of approval, designation, or listing as part of any
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17 academic degree program including general education, major, minor,
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18 or certificate requirements or as a condition of consideration in
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19 any faculty member's performance assessment, promotion, tenure,
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20 salary adjustment, or any other incentive, except as provided for in
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21 subsection E of this section.
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22 E. Academic degree program requirements of any major, minor,
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23 certificate, or department with a title that clearly establishes its
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24 course of study as primarily focused on racial, ethnic, or gender
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1 studies may be exempted in writing by the governing board of the
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2 institution of higher education from the prohibitions of subsections
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3 C and D of this section, subject to the following:
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4 1. A student may not be constrained or required to enroll in
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5 any such program, department, or course to satisfy the requirements
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6 of any other academic degree program including general education
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7 requirements or any other major, minor, or certificate requirements;
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8 2. Courses offered or listed under such programs shall satisfy
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9 the academic degree program requirements of the respective
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10 departments, majors, minors, or certificates only and shall not be
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11 used to satisfy degree requirements for general education or other
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12 major, minor, or certificate requirements beyond satisfying
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13 university credit-hour graduation requirements; and
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14 3. The title of any currently established department, major,
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15 minor, or certificate program shall not be altered or replaced to
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16 establish an emphasis on racial, ethnic, or gender studies.
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17 F. 1. An alleged violation of the provisions of this section
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18 shall be submitted to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher
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19 Education on a form prescribed by the State Regents.
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20 2. The State Regents shall adopt a policy providing for the
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21 investigation of alleged violations submitted pursuant to paragraph
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22 1 of this subsection. The policy shall include due process
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23 procedures. An institution of higher education found to be in
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24 violation of the provisions of this section shall be ineligible to
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Req. No. 720 Page 5
1 receive funding allocations from the Oklahoma State Regents for
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2 Higher Education for the following fiscal years.
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3 3. The State Regents shall submit a report by December 31,
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4 2026, and each December 31 thereafter to the Governor, the President
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5 Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
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6 Representatives, and the chairs of the committees with
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7 responsibility over appropriations in both houses of the Legislature
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8 detailing the alleged violations submitted pursuant to paragraph 1
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9 of this subsection and the findings of investigations conducted
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10 pursuant to paragraph 2 of this subsection.
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11 G. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the
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12 academic freedom of any individual institution of higher education's
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13 faculty to direct the instruction within his or her own class, nor
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14 limit the free discussion of ideas in a classroom setting.
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15 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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16 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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17 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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18 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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19 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 720 Page 6Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.