This bill proposes extensive amendments to the Code of West Virginia aimed at abolishing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, trainings, and offices across the executive branch and educational institutions. It introduces a new Article 33, titled "Equal Treatment By Executive Branch Act of 2025," which mandates that state entities treat individuals equally without regard to race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin. The bill prohibits state departments from establishing DEI offices, hiring DEI personnel, or requiring DEI statements. In the education sector, it introduces the "Equal Treatment in Primary and Secondary Education Act of 2025," which restricts teaching concepts that imply superiority or inferiority based on race, ethnicity, or sex, and clarifies that employees are not obligated to use a student's preferred pronoun if it does not align with their biological sex.

Additionally, the bill establishes new regulations for higher education, prohibiting DEI offices and officers while allowing exceptions for legal compliance and academic instruction. It emphasizes the need for neutrality on contested opinions regarding race, ethnicity, and gender, and prohibits any requirement for students or employees to affirm specific beliefs about these topics. Institutions of higher education must report compliance with these regulations annually, with penalties for non-compliance including the loss of state funding. Unspent funds that would have been allocated to DEI initiatives are to be redirected towards merit scholarships or used to reduce tuition for resident students, marking a significant shift in West Virginia's approach to DEI within its educational framework.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 5-33-1, 5-33-2, 5-33-3, 18B-1G-1, 18B-1G-2, 18B-1G-3, 18B-1G-4, 18B-1G-5, 18-2-9b, 18-5-29, 18B-14-5, 18B-14-6