HB 0147: Wyoming Bans DEI Programming in State Institutions
Summary
Signed into law in March 2025, HB 0147 prohibits governmental entities, including state agencies, public schools, and universities, from engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, activities, or policies. It also prohibit required instruction "promoting institutional discrimination." Among typical discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, HB 0147 defines "institutional discrimination" to include the concepts that these traits (i) make a person "inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously" (ii) make a person "inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members" sharing those traits (iii) assign "fault, blame or bias," (iv) require a person to "accept, acknowledge, affirm or assent to a sense of guilt, complicity or need to apologize." The definition also includes the concept "that meritocracy or certain traits including a hard work ethic are racist or sexist." The bill does not apply to classifications for federally recognized Indian tribe
