Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, is furthering his state’s efforts to stamp down woke initiatives that liberals are pushing.
On Monday, he signed three new bills that will place additional restrictions on initiatives that fall into the category of DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion. This comes at a time when Florida recently was ranked as the country’s top state for education.
One of the bills, Senate Bill 266, will prohibit any institution from spending state or federal dollars on DEI initiatives. Another, House Bill 931, prohibits any public institution in Florida from requiring staff, faculty or students to take a political loyalty test. The final, Senate Bill 240, will expand initiatives in workforce education while also increasing access to career and technical education programs.
As the governor said in the statement:
“Florida has ranked number one in higher education for seven years in a row, and by signing this legislation we are ensuring that Florida’s institutions encourage diversity of thought, civil discourse and the pursuit of truth for generations to come.
“Florida is taking a stand for empowering students, parents and educators to focus on creating opportunities for our younger generations. I am happy to have worked with the legislature to get this important legislation signed, sealed and delivered.”
The bill that has received the most attention from news outlets is SB 266. That’s because it’s attacking the woke ideologies that are being pushed at higher education institutions. The bill will cut funding for all “initiatives that promote dangerous political and social activism, such as DEI initiatives.”
As DeSantis’ office explained further:
“This bill prohibits programs, majors, minors, curriculum and general education core courses that violate Florida law regarding prohibited discrimination or that are based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.
“Additionally, this bill will require that our university presidents renew their ownership of and accountability for hiring, promoting, and when necessary, disciplining faculty.”
HB 931 is also attracting some attention, as it bans any school from requiring any “political statements and ideological attestations by faculty and students in hiring, promoting and admissions.”
These are all more moves by DeSantis and Florida’s lawmakers to be ahead of the game and serve as a model for other states in fighting back against liberal ideologies.
DeSantis has consistently positioned himself as the leader in these types of initiatives as well, bringing down the hammer on things such as DEI initiatives, transgender issues and monetary things such as the proposed Central Bank Digital Currency.
The Florida governor is attracting a lot of national attention for all that he’s doing, and it could be serving him well in a potential run for the GOP nomination for president in 2024. DeSantis hasn’t officially filed to run just yet, but many people are expecting that to come in the next few months.
