Latest news with #HouseBill421
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Louisiana colleges could be prohibited from requiring race, gender classes
Rep. Emily Chenevert presented her bill to the Senate Education Committee on May 15, 2024. (Allison Allsop/Louisiana Illuminator) A Louisiana legislative committee has dramatically rewritten an anti-DEI policy proposal for state agencies that would now prohibit schools from requiring certain race and gender-based curriculum for undergraduate students. The House and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a substantially re-written version of House Bill 421 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, which would prohibit compulsory classes that cover any of the following subjects: Critical race theory White fragility or white guilt Systemic racism, institutional racism or anti-racism Systemic bias, implicit bias or unconscious bias Intersectionality Gender identity Allyship Race-based reparations Race-based privilege The use of pronouns Courses that include these topics could still be taught, but the classes could not be required for graduation. The bill makes an exception for majors, minors and certificates that are specifically related to race or gender studies. In its original state, Chenevert's bill would have prohibited diversity, equity and inclusion practices in state agencies, but an amendment made public late Wednesday night drastically re-wrote the bill, focusing it on college and university curriculum in addition to forbidding DEI trainings. Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, objected to Chenevert putting forward major and controversial changes to the bill with little notice. Committee members voted 10-6 to advance the proposal. Contacted for his reaction after the vote, LSU Faculty Senate President Dan Tirone said the measure would restrict subject matter experts from determining what topics are necessary for students to learn, though he said he appreciates the bill does not place a blanket ban on those subjects. 'Having state statutes which limit what can be taught in many of the mandatory introductory courses across a wide array of fields … seems to be the imposition of a bureaucratic process which will diminish the ability to adequately prepare our students and substitute policymaker preferences for the professional expertise of our professors and instructors,' Tirone said in a statement. Opponents of Chenevert's revised bill include the Southern University Foundation, the NAACP Baton Rouge chapter, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Louisiana Democratic Party. 'It's been a known fact that there have been pervasive instances of racial and gender discrimination in our state and nation,' Louisiana Democratic Party chairman Randal Gaines said. 'Those particular consequences have not been eliminated. So DEI programs not only help to remedy those consequences, but they make sure that they're not repeated.' Conservative groups supporting the bill include the Foundation for Government Accountability and the Louisiana Family Forum. Chenevert told committee members that Gov. Jeff Landry supports the legislation. While Chenevert said she believes her bill promotes equality and eliminating bias, Black lawmakers on the committee raised concerns with eliminating practices they view as necessary. 'I've only been able to get jobs in government agencies because they were forced to see me, they were forced to give me an opportunity,' Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, said. 'Because with my three degrees, I still was not given opportunity based on my merit because the color of my skin, and the gender that I was born kept me out of those places.' Marcelle also expressed concern that the bill's language could prohibit law enforcement from receiving racial bias recognition training. Chenevert said she did not believe the bill would prohibit that training, but she indicated she was open to amendments that would clarify that. As it reads now, the legislation would prohibit any training, policies or procedures 'designed in reference to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.' Last year, Chenevert sponsored legislation to require K-12 schools, colleges and universities to issue reports to the legislature on their DEI spending. Schools at all levels reported minimal expenditures on DEI activities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
08-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland Gov. Moore to sign several bills into law following end of 2025 legislative session
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will sign more than 90 bills into law Tuesday following the end of the 2025 legislative session. When the session got underway in January , lawmakers shared several priorities, including addressing a $3 billion deficit, increasing economic growth, and lowering crime. Of the 94 bills that Gov. Moore will sign on Tuesday, several aim to improve public safety and reduce crime in the state. House Bill 421 and corresponding Senate Bill 36 dictate that the money from the state's 911 Trust Fund be used to support the 988 suicide prevention hotline. HB189 and Senate Bill 187 require the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to disqualify a person from driving a commercial vehicle for one year if they are found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. House Bill 136 and Senate Bill 199 require that the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy assume the responsibility of paying a healthcare provider for caring for victims of alleged rape or sexual assault. This used to be the responsibility of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. House Bill 12 allows the Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission to issue citations to individuals who violate a law preventing the sale of certain THC products. Some of the other bills being signed on Tuesday address smaller policy changes. Senate Bill 258 and House Bill 40 change the fee for sport fishing licenses from $20.50 to $32 for residents and from $30.50 to $55 for nonresidents. Another bill, SB196, clarifies that fees collected from electronic transactions are owed to the state rather than a third party. An energy reform legislative package and bills to protect consumers from utility spending are also heading to the governor's desk. The Maryland General Assembly passed the 2026 budget on Sine Die, the final day of the session. The budget included tax and fee increases along with some spending cuts to close the $3.3 billion deficit. "I'm proud of the budget deal we crafted with the Maryland General Assembly to flip the deficit we inherited into a surplus, while ensuring 94% of Marylanders get either an income tax cut or see no change in their income taxes," Gov. Moore said in a statement. "Our expungement bill will provide second chances to more Marylanders, so they can become part of our economic future," the governor added. "We made record investments in education while addressing commonsense adjustments to the Blueprint, which will improve education for all Maryland students." The $67 billion budget creates new tax brackets for the highest earners in the state, which some Republican lawmakers continued to express concerns about. "It's really scary for the six million Marylanders this new budget falls on," said Del. Stuart Schmidt, a Republican from Anne Arundel County. "I mean, the highest tax increase we've ever had in the state of Maryland, it's scary."
