Overview
- Rep. Tom Young introduced H.B. 698 to let the state withhold a portion of the State Share of Instruction from public colleges found out of compliance with the higher‑education law.
- The proposal requires inventories of employees who performed DEI roles on Jan. 1, 2025 and were reassigned by Sept. 25, 2025, with justification reports on new duties and salaries for review by the higher‑education chancellor.
- The bill authorizes the chancellor to audit institutions, determine whether reassignments are substantively different from prior DEI functions, and release held funds once issues are corrected.
- Faculty groups and Democrats say the plan erodes academic freedom, creates registries of former DEI staff, and could trigger constitutional challenges.
- S.B. 1 sponsor Sen. Jerry Cirino called the enforcement push premature, and Gov. Mike DeWine previously vetoed a similar funding tie, with a March 1, 2026 compliance date approaching for campuses.