House Bill 3319, also known as the Restoring Sanity Act, seeks to amend West Virginia's education code by prohibiting certain educational practices related to race, ethnicity, and gender identity. The bill specifically forbids school districts, public charter schools, and state institutions of higher education from providing instruction or requiring affirmation of concepts that imply inherent superiority or inferiority based on these characteristics. It establishes procedures for complaints and appeals regarding alleged violations, allowing students, parents, and employees to report grievances. Additionally, educators are not mandated to use a student's preferred pronoun if it does not correspond with their biological sex, and they are protected from civil liability in such instances.

The legislation also prohibits state institutions of higher education from creating diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or officers, redirecting any previously allocated funds towards merit scholarships for lower-income and first-generation college students or to reduce tuition fees. Institutions must submit compliance reports to the Joint Committee on Education, with funding restrictions imposed for non-compliance. The bill emphasizes neutrality on contested opinions, prohibits diversity statements in admissions or employment processes, and ensures no preferential treatment based on identity factors, thereby reinforcing the importance of free speech and expression in higher education.

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