BOISE, ID – Idaho Senate Republicans overwhelmingly approved an anti-DEI bill.

Senate Bill 1198 would bar colleges and universities from opening diversity, equity and inclusion offices, hiring DEI officers or requiring DEI-related coursework, unless it’s part of a chosen degree program.

Colleges and universities that violate these provisions, and decline to “cure” violations within 30 days, could face a 2% cut in state funds for the division or office where the violation occurred.

Sponsoring Sen. Ben Toews said Idaho colleges and universities are “suppressing the search for truth using divisive DEI techniques under the banner of Marxist critical theory.”

“Should our institutions of higher education be havens for free inquiry and pursuit of truth, or should they be vehicles for indoctrination and activism under a worldview that rejects the very idea of objective truth?” said Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene.

The Senate voted 27-8 to approve the bill. Just two Republicans opposed it.

Sen. Jim Guthrie said it could be costly for colleges and universities to comply with the DEI prohibitions. And the Legislature shouldn’t be “taking the lead on what we think should or shouldn’t be taught,” he argued. However, he acknowledged that something “needs to be done” related to DEI.

“There’s some sideboards that need to be put up, and I think the State Board did that with their policy,” said Guthrie, R-McCammon.

The State Board of Education in December adopted a resolution barring student support centers “based on DEI ideology” and prohibited “a central office, policy, procedure, or initiative” grounded in DEI.

Much of the Senate debate focused on the message that restricting DEI on campuses would send. Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow argued that the movement to quash DEI is inspired by “fear” of “ideas that are challenging the status quo.”

“Throughout history, the greatest threats to freedom have not come from open debate, but from the suppression of it,” said Wintrow, D-Boise. “When we start banning discussions about diversity, equity, inclusion, we’re not protecting our values, we’re banning them.”

Sen. Todd Lakey countered that diversity, equity and inclusion “seem to be reasonable words.” But colleges and universities have “taken those terms and twisted them into discrimination.” said Lakey, R-Nampa. “We’re going to force diversity, we’re going to force equity, we’re going to force inclusion and give advantage to someone in the name of those terms.”

SB 1198 now heads to the House.