Senate Bill 1 is one signature away from law, after senators voted 20-11 to concur with changes Wednesday, advancing it to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk.
An overhaul of Ohio’s institutions of higher education, SB 1 gets rid of most mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion—colloquially, DEI—training at public universities and colleges, requires so-called “intellectual diversity” on certain subjects, and slashes university trustee terms.
It also bans faculty strikes, mandates their post-tenure performance reviews and requires a civics course focused on United States history and the free market.
“This is not about censure or about erasure, it’s not about exclusion. It’s about inclusion that transcends labels, because DEI has become a system that sorts us. It sorts us by race, by gender, and by identity, creating a culture where we are defined by our categories instead of our character,” Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) said Wednesday.
Since February, SB 1 has moved swiftly mostly along partisan lines—although Sens. Bill Blessing (R-Colerain Twp.) and Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) as well as Reps. Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison), Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton) and Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) broke with their caucuses.
Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said Wednesday following the vote he was “delighted” the bill cleared another hurdle.
Its passage came at the protest of Democratic lawmakers and hundreds of opponents, who have turned out in droves to testify and demonstrate against the bill. Ohio Legislative Black Caucus members condemned the bill Wednesday morning during an hour-long news conference, begging DeWine to veto it.
“How dare you act like I’m a quota? How dare you act like I’m a DEI hire? I had to do more than to get to even being considered, let alone hired, so let’s be honest about where we are today. This is about control,” Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) said Wednesday.
Still, DeWine will likely sign it, he said last week. “But I always reserve the right to make sure I know exactly what’s in the bill,” DeWine said.
DeWine has two weeks to sign or veto it once it arrives. SB 1 could face a legal challenge, if signed.
Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro said last week he believes it significantly undercuts faculty rights to collective bargaining. When asked Wednesday, Ohio NAACP Vice President Derrick Foward said the Ohio NAACP was “waiting to get direction from our national office.”
“We believe we’re on firm legal ground,” Cirino said.
