DEI-blocking Bills and Amendments Rain Down in “Loyalty Oath” Aftermath

I’ve talked a lot in the last month about how the state shouldn’t allow institutions of higher learning to impose woke loyalty oaths on job applicants and how the University of Missouri System responded to the controversy in a largely positive way last week. Now it appears that legislation on the subject is finally on the move, with bills in both the House and Senate restricting such university practices moving efficiently through their respective committees.

But perhaps the most interesting recent development on this subject happened Tuesday night. As part of the House’s annual budget debate, amendments were repeatedly added to spending bills that would explicitly stop state funding from going to DEI programs—not only in higher education, but in other state departments as well.

Now that the budget bills go to the Senate, this language will likely change or even be removed by the upper chamber. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the budget bills and on the other anti-loyalty oath initiatives. The legislation remains a long way from crossing the finish line.