Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) has officially signed legislation ending taxpayer funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the state’s higher education system. The measure, SB 796, permanently bars public universities from using state funds to support DEI initiatives or mandating ideological training based on race, sex, or other identity categories.
Though Stitt signed the bill in May, he held a ceremonial signing Tuesday alongside U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who visited the state as part of her “Returning Education to the States” 50-State Tour. The event took place at Dove Science Academy, a public charter school in Oklahoma City.
“Oklahoma is proving the value of returning education to the states, with schools that emphasize literacy and equip students with what they need to succeed in the workforce,” McMahon said. She praised the new law as a step toward ensuring education “is grounded in merit, not radical ideology.”
SB 796 builds on Stitt’s earlier executive order eliminating DEI mandates in higher education. The law prohibits universities from requiring ideological loyalty oaths or DEI declarations in hiring, while also banning the forced disclosure of personal pronouns. Supporters argue the law restores higher education’s focus on academics and workforce readiness.
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R), chair of the House Postsecondary Education Committee, said universities should be “centers of academic excellence” rather than vehicles for taxpayer-funded ideology. Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader (R) echoed that view, noting that while diversity concepts can still be taught, state funds should not be used to enforce “an artificial preference system.”
“Taken on their own, the words diversity, equity and inclusion sound wonderful,” Crosswhite Hader said, “but as a philosophy these programs are embedded with an artificial preference system that detracts from the core mission of our higher education institutions.”
With the ceremonial signing, Oklahoma becomes one of the most recent states to push back against DEI mandates in education, aligning with a broader movement to ensure universities emphasize merit, scholarship, and workforce development over ideological programs.
