EXCLUSIVE: GOP Senators Introduce Bill Banning Higher Ed Accreditors From Considering ‘Diversity’ Initiatives

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio led the introduction of a bill Thursday that would limit how accrediting agencies weigh race during a higher education institution’s accreditation process.

Under the “Fairness in Higher Education Accrediting Act,” obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation, Institution of Higher Education (IHE) accrediting agencies would be prohibited from considering a university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, or lack thereof, as criteria for its accreditation. Rubio introduced the legislation Thursday alongside two co-sponsors, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott.

“Wokeness should not be mandatory,” Rubio told the DCNF. “I am proud to introduce the Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act, which would protect free speech on college campuses and seeks to prevent a politicized Department of Education from further forcing diversity, equity and inclusion policies into higher education.”