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From Kentucky Today

For the second day in a row, Gov. Andy Beshear has vetoed a bill passed by the 2025 General Assembly, this time a measure dealing with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Kentucky’s public colleges and universities.

On Thursday, he vetoed House Bill 4, which would prohibit a public postsecondary education institution from providing differential treatment or benefits based on an individual’s religion, race, sex, color, or national origin. This includes such things as admissions, scholarships and housing, among other things.

In his veto message, Beshear said, “Diversity is a strength, and never a weakness. Diversity makes our commonwealth stronger, enriching Kentucky with people from all different backgrounds and upbringing. Diversity programs help us add more voices to the table. This legislation shrinks that table by attempting to control how universities and colleges meet the needs of their students and prepare them for the future. This bill forecloses our universities ands colleges from fully embracing students from communities of color, from various faith communities of certain ethnicities, women, and the LGBTQ+ community.”

In a post on Facebook, Beshear said Kentucky used to be more welcoming.

“We were one of the first Southern states to sign a civil rights act. But this bill, House Bill 4, moves us backwards. It makes people feel less welcome, less deserving, less like they are welcomed in the commonwealth.

“This bill isn’t about love; House Bill 4 is about hate. So, I’m going to try a little act of love myself and I’m going to veto it right now. I’ll always believe that diversity is a strength and never a weakness. That we are better with more voices and more seats at our table.”

More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end DEI programs, which his officials say exclude white and Asian American students.

The U.S. Education Department recently announced the new investigations, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.

The Commonwealth Policy Center Executive Director Richard Nelson called on the General Assembly to override Beshear’s veto.

“Nobody should go to the front line or the back of the line at Kentucky universities simply because of their skin color, gender, ethnicity, politics or religious beliefs,” Nelson said. “HB 4 resets university policy toward equal treatment for everyone, regardless of what they look like or believe.”

The bill prohibits racial discrimination in scholarships, admissions, hiring and housing policy.

“Gov. Beshear said the bill was ‘about hate’ and resorted to the Golden Rule as justification for his veto,” Nelson said. “We believe in the same Golden Rule, too, which means ‘do unto others what you’d have done unto you.’ If you don’t want somebody to penalize you for how you look or your beliefs, then you shouldn’t put that idea into law, which is what DEI accomplishes.”

David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation, applauded the legislation that bans and defends DEI programs after it passed through the General Assembly.

“DEI policies and programs at our public universities are leading to viewpoint discrimination and are undermining free speech,” Walls said. “These harmful DEI programs that promote discriminatory concepts, such as critical theory and radical gender ideology, should be ended and defunded at every level of government.”

The House and Senate are currently in their 10-day veto recess. They will return to Frankfort next Thursday and Friday where they can vote to override any gubernatorial vetoes. HB 4 passed both chambers by wide margins, and since it only takes a simple majority to override a veto, it is likely the measure will pass both chambers again and become law, in legislative parlance, “The Governor’s veto notwithstanding.”

On Wednesday, Beshear vetoed legislation dealing with employees of the Department of Agriculture that would allow some workers of that department to apply for loans or grants administered by that office.