Ohio House passes DEI-banning Senate Bill 1; bill returns to Ohio Senate for concurrence

Reilly Ackermann, Nora Igelnik
Thu, 20 Mar 2025 05:24:36 +0000
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A crowd gathers outside of the Senate Chamber during the Higher Education Committee’s opposition hearing for Senate Bill 1 Feb. 11. Credit: Daniel Bush | Lantern Photographer

A bill that would reconstruct the state’s higher education passed the Ohio House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon and will now move to the Ohio Senate for concurrence.?

Ohio Senate Bill 1, also known as the “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” aims to ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and prevent faculty from striking, as well as limit the teaching of controversial subjects within Ohio’s p ublic higher education institutions.

The Senate intends to concur with the House changes — which are currently undisclosed — at a later date, said Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), according to the Ohio Capital Journal.?

After the concurrence, SB 1 is expected to move to the desk of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who will have 10 days to sign or veto the bill. In the event the bill is vetoed, the legislature will need to provide a three-fifths vote in each chamber to reintroduce it.?

University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a message the university has advocated for changes to SB 1 throughout the legislative process “that would preserve and enhance academic freedom, embrace diversity of thought, and foster civil discourse on campuses where all individuals feel welcomed and respected.”

“While some improvements were made, we had hoped for more,” Johnson said. “We will continue to work with our legislature and other public officials on policies that advance our priorities.”

DeWine has not publicly commented on SB 1. However, he said he was open to signing a bill that would “dramatically change Ohio college and university campuses” in the context of SB 1’s ideological predecessor, Ohio Senate Bill 83, according to a June 2024 Ohio Capital Journal article.?

Notably, this vote comes after weeks of statewide protest and testimony in opposition to the bill.?

Hours before SB 1’s passing Wednesday, approximately 200 students, faculty and staff participated in a walk-out — organized by the Ohio Student Association — from Ohio State’s Columbus campus to the Ohio Statehouse to voice their objection to the bill.?

Additionally, over 900 students, faculty and staff gathered in the Oval March 4 to protest the legislation and Ohio State’s own DEI rollbacks, per prior Lantern reporting.?

Nearly a month prior, over 200 people presented opposition testimony in person at the Ohio Statehouse Feb. 11, including students, faculty and staff from Ohio State, the University of Cincinnati and Ohio University, per prior Lantern reporting.?

This article was updated March 20 at 9:16 p.m. to include comment from university spokesperson Ben Johnson.