The Martin Center has been publishing a series of articles about legislation to reform state higher ed systems, and today we looked at a recent bill in Kentucky that’s meant to sweep out the ideological junk of DEI. In their article, Gary Houchens and Aaron Roberts write, “The bill was passed in the 2025 legislative session over the veto of Democratic governor Andy Beshear, who predictably claimed that its supporters were motivated by ‘hate.’ In fact, HB 4 provides a necessary corrective to years of institutional overreach that has discriminated against students, stifled open inquiry, and punished dissenting voices on campus.”

That figures. Beshear, who seems to fancy himself a contender for the White House, says what all leftists do when confronted by opponents of DEI: that they’re motivated by hatred.

The authors explain HB 4 this way:

HB 4 prohibits universities from discriminating against or favoring students, faculty, or staff based on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin in scholarships, hiring, and vendor contracts. The law forbids universities from establishing or maintaining DEI offices and programs, forbids colleges from requiring applicants for admission or hiring to make pledges or statements about diversity, and disallows requiring students to complete courses or programs for which the primary purpose is indoctrination in various ideological concepts.

Now comes the next part of the battle: getting rid of the bitter-enders who will continue preaching DEI anyway.

Houchens and Roberts nail the truth here:

The ultimate test of HB 4’s success will not be whether it eliminates particular programs or offices but whether it helps restore a culture of intellectual freedom and open debate to Kentucky’s public universities. If the law achieves this goal, it will have rendered an invaluable service not only to the state of Kentucky but to the broader cause of higher-education reform nationwide.