Florida’s state senators edited out some of the most contentious provisions of a much-discussed higher-education bill advancing through the legislature on Wednesday. Lawmakers scrapped all references to “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” eliminated the ability to subject professors to tenure review at any time or for any cause, and shelved language that would have given hiring authority to governing boards.
HB 999 and its complement Senate Bill 266 were first filed in February after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that changes to public higher education would be a policy priority of his this year.
In modifying the bill, Florida lawmakers signaled that some of DeSantis’s most aggressive proposals on higher education may not be realized this year.
Senators removed all of the bill’s references to “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” rewriting the bill to ban curricula 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.” Universities would also be prohibited from using state funding to promote, support, or maintain campus programs or activities that are based on these theories, the bill states.
The bill’s sponsor said the DEI language was removed due to concerns that it could affect accreditation of some courses and programs, according to the Miami Herald.
The latest version also strips out previous language that would have banned specific majors and minors. The bill had been amended in March to bar universities from offering any major or minor that is “based on or otherwise utilizes pedagogical methodology associated with Critical Theory, including, but not limited to, Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Studies, Critical Ethnic Studies, Radical Feminist Theory, Radical Gender Theory, Queer Theory, Critical Social Justice, or Intersectionality.”
Most public universities in Florida offer majors or minors in gender studies, and many other disciplines and programs cover topics like race, gender, and intersectionality. Faculty and students expressed concern that these programs were at risk under prior versions of the bill.
Under prior versions of the Senate bill, tenured professors could have been subject to post-tenure review at any time or for any cause. That provision was struck Wednesday by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican. Florida established a five-year post-tenure review process last year.
Despite the revisions, State Sen. Geraldine Thompson , a Democrat, stressed that she believes the bill still represents a step “backwards” for the state.
Another addition to the Senate bill would give university presidents the final authority over hiring decisions for provosts, deans, and full-time faculty members. Presidents would also be responsible for assessing the performance, productivity, and employment practices of the university’s provost and deans and would be encouraged to participate in faculty reporting.
Previously, the bill would have permitted boards of trustees to make hiring decisions, allowing them to delegate that authority to presidents but forbidding them from delegating to faculty members. The new text lifts that ban.
