Lawmakers clash over DEI funding ban in Oklahoma higher education

Debate is intensifying at the Oklahoma State Capitol over Senate Bill 796, a measure that would prohibit the use of state funds to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at public colleges and universities.

The bill, which has sparked reactions on both sides of the aisle, prevents institutions within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education from using state-funded resources to:

1. Establish or support DEI positions, programs, or activities;
2. Mandate DEI-related training or education that grants preferences based on race, color, sex, ethnicity or national origin;
3. Require DEI loyalty oaths or ideological pledges;
4. Ask job applicants to provide a DEI statement;
5. Compel disclosure of personal pronouns.

The bill does not ban DEI programs entirely and allows institutions to apply for grants or meet accreditation standards. Beginning July 1, 2026, schools must submit a certificate of compliance with the law annually.

Democrats Say Bill Stifles Inclusion, Hurts Students

Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, said the legislation distorts the true purpose of DEI initiatives.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion has repeatedly been twisted in this body,” McCane said. “I understand for straight white men it might be scary to start including other that are not like you.”

She argued that DEI programs benefit all students by broadening perspectives and fostering critical discussion.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion programs in our universities are not about giving extra benefits to someone. If anything, they give an extra benefit to anybody who attends because it expands their understanding of some issues,” she said.

“This bill has taken fear and propaganda and turned it into legislation,” McCane added. “We are chipping away at the quality of education we are able to give our students, we are also making it harder for our public universities to compete with our private universities. We will have people leave our state, we will have people not even consider Oklahoma as an option.”

Rep. Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City, emphasized the importance of DEI programs for the disability community.

“What DEI does for people with disability is huge,” Hefner said. “It’s not just about race or gender, it’s vital to disability rights.”

Rep. Arturo Alonso Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, called DEI programs a lifeline for disadvantaged students.

“When we think about programs like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” Sandoval said, “these are programs that support those that are in need — first-generation, low-income, students with disabilities.”

“Legislation like this is coming from a place of fear — because oftentimes people think of DEI and they think ‘oh — people of color,’ ‘oh we’re gonna focus on race,’ but that’s not the case,” he said.

“DEI programs are workforce development, they’re good for business, they’re good for the state of Oklahoma because they help individuals access resources,” he added. “I say that as a product of DEI programs.”

Republicans Argue DEI Has Drifted From Its Purpose

Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Tulsa, criticized DEI efforts as counterproductive.

“The very thing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was saying to fight against was actually fostering and strengthening the very thing it was supposed to be fighting against,” Tedford said.

“We don’t wanna be cultivating this victim mentality in this oppressed versus oppressor,” he said. “In my opinion, DEI programs have lost their way.”

He expressed concern about campus culture and the narrowing of intellectual diversity.

“What these programs should be is a mechanism by which we can learn about people and cultures different than our own and how we can work with one another despite our differences. Unfortunately, that is not what we see,” Tedford said.

“These programs are not diverse, equitable, or inclusive enough as they tend to focus only on small marginalized groups, excluding traditional groups and ignore thought diversity,” he said.

“We're actually providing students with fewer opportunities to learn. Part of the college experience is learning how to deal with a world that is much bigger than the tiny towns that many of us came from,” he added.

Tedford also acknowledged negative effects on the groups the bill seeks to support.

“I believe that this bill hurts our veteran communities, I also believe it hurts our student athletes,” he said.

Supporters Say Bill Aims to Protect Merit, Prevent Division

Rep. Clay Staires, R-Skiatook, said the bill targets taxpayer spending, not personal choice.

“Today’s bill that we’re discussing simply removes the mandate to spend taxpayer dollars at DEI,” Staires said. “It does not remove DEI as a whole.”

He questioned the fairness of DEI as a qualifying metric.

“Proponents of DEI want us to believe that all... DEI that we are all aware of becomes the qualifier — not merit, not talent, or the values that these bring,” he said. “DEI is a shrewd deception that quickly divides to masquerade as a social responsibility.”

“Senate Bill 796 is a statement that Oklahoma sees this deception and is not willing to spend hard earned taxpayer dollars to support it,” he said.

Rep. Denise Crosswhite-Hader, R-Piedmont, said students are burdened by ideological agendas.

“What has happened is this caused an us versus them attitude,” she said. “College is for learning.”

“If someone wants to study DEI or aspects of a philosophy they can,” Crosswhite-Hader said. “What the bill does is stop state resources — which are taxpayer dollars — from being used to drag out their education.”

“What I’m asking is that our taxpayers not continue to fund an attitude of strife,” she added.

Lawmakers Reflect on Misconceptions and Division

Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, said the public misunderstands the true goals of DEI.

“I think there is a mass confusion about what Diversity, Equity and Inclusion really is,” she said.

Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, expressed frustration with political infighting.

“We want to constantly divide, we want to spend hours on bills like this,” she said.

Rep. Scott Fetgatter, D-Okmulgee, dismissed racial tension as a settled issue for many.

“Let’s dance on this issue,” Fetgatter said. “The older generation got over these racial issues as a society decades ago before some of you were even born.”