JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Republican state senator representing several counties in the St. Louis region is pushing to ban diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Missouri public colleges.

Missouri State Sen. Ben Brown, who represents parts of St. Louis, Franklin and Warren counties, has introduced SB 326 for the ongoing legislative session. The bill was scheduled for a hearing Tuesday within a Senate Education Committee.

The bill appears to be part of a broader effort from Missouri Republicans to scale back DEI initiatives, which critics argue promote preferential treatment based on race, gender and other characteristics.

As currently written, SB 326 would ban public universities from submitting “written or oral” DEI statements and endorsing any ideology deemed as “discriminatory” based on characteristics such as race, gender, or religion.

The bill would also prohibit “preferential consideration to any applicant, employee, student, or contractor” for an opportunity within the university based on an “unsolicited statement” related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Additionally, the bill would require universities to submit a compliance report each year to state legislative leaders.

If passed, SB 326 would allow applicants, employees, students or contractors to pursue “injunctive or declaratory relief” against a university found in violation of the bill’s provisions. The bill also calls for steep penalties, including unpaid leave for a full academic year upon first offense and termination with five-year statewide employment ban in higher public education upon second or subsequent offense.

Along with this legislative push, Gov. Mike Kehoe has previously signed an executive order to ban DEI initiatives within Missouri state agencies. And on Tuesday, the Missouri Attorney General joined 14 other attorneys general in signing a letter to White House officials, urging what they called “the country’s leading companies” to abandon DEI practices.

According to the Associated Press, DEI policies typically are intended to root out systemic barriers to the advancement of historically marginalized groups in certain fields or roles.

Meanwhile, SB 326 has had two readings on the Senate floor as is currently under review by a Senate Education Committee. It’s unclear how much momentum this bill could gain before the Missouri’s legislative session ends on May 16.