MONTGOMERY, Alabama (LifeSiteNews) — Alabama’s Republican Governor Kay Ivey has signed into law a bill that bans taxpayer dollars from being used for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at universities, state agencies, and K-12 public schools.
SB 129 was approved Tuesday by the Alabama Senate, where Republicans voted 25-4 in its favor. Republicans in the State House passed the measure 75-28 in a party line vote earlier this month.
The law prohibits the teaching of “divisive concepts” on race, religion, and other topics. It also bans educators from assigning “fault, blame, or bias” to persons alive today for “actions committed in the past.”
Gender-confused persons are also prevented from using bathrooms reserved for members of the opposite sex.
More than 30 other states across the U.S. have introduced legislation related to nixing DEI programs. Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in 2023 cutting off funds for DEI initiatives for all 28 publicly supported colleges in the state. As a result, the University of Florida fired its DEI staffers in March 2024, saving roughly $5 million in expenses. Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott approved a similar law in June 2023.
DEI initiatives have been criticized by conservatives for undermining the basic principles of Western Civilization and substituting them with critical race theory and anti-white, woke neo-Marxist ideology.
Senator Will Barfoot (R) is one of the primary sponsors of SB 129. In a statement, he argued that it will “build bridges to celebrate what people have in common, not erect walls that silo people into the idea that their race, religion, and sexual orientation solely define who they are and how society should view them.”
Ivey, 79, echoed his remarks by noting that she won’t “allow a few bad actors on college campuses… to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe.”
The law goes into effect October 1, 2024. Institutions and employees who do not comply may be disciplined or face termination. DEI programs that do not rely on taxpayer dollars will be allowed to continue, the bill stipulates. According to AL.com, $16 million dollars are currently being spent on DEI initiatives on campuses at eight state-backed colleges in Alabama.