In a bid to push back against Marxist influences in colleges and universities, West Virginia Senator Patricia Rucker (R) is sponsoring the “Restoring Sanity Act” in the state senate.
The newly introduced legislation aims to redirect funding from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and critical race theory (CRT) towards merit-based scholarships.
“I want to put an end to all of the woke, Marxist poison infecting young minds in educational institutions,” Rucker said about her intentions in putting the legislation up. Rucker states that there is a need to address discrimination, no matter what race it is against, questioning why taxpayer dollars going to teach the next generation were supporting divisive ideologies.
The proposed bill would divert public college and university funds currently allocated for DEI personnel towards the support of merit-based scholarships for lower- and middle-income students or to lower tuition and fees charged to resident students.
Senator Rucker also intends for the legislation to divisive subjects such as implicit bias, cultural appropriation, transgender ideology and systemic oppression. Public institutions would be required to show that they conform to these standards in order to receive money from the state. Moreover, the legislation adds new guidelines for public school districts, including provisions for the use of gender pronouns.
West Virginia is working on passing a new bill that would ban DEI initiatives in public Colleges and Universities.
The “Restoring Sanity Act” would ban colleges and universities in the state from promoting concepts such as “social justice, neo-pronouns, gender theory, racial or… pic.twitter.com/mdSgwW0wpi
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Though the “Restoring Sanity Act” has garnered momentum, the bill must go through more committee review prior to being put to a vote on the Senate floor. It has been met with support from groups and individuals that have called for action in tackling harmful indoctrination in educational settings. Critics, however, contend that the law hobbles attempts to create a diverse and inclusive environment in higher education, and that initiative such as DEI programs and CRT serve to address systemic inequalities and encourage understanding diverse groups.
The “Restoring Sanity Act,” or alternatively labeled “Anti-Woke Act,” is just another addition to the heated nationwide debate over gender theory in the classroom and the role of the state in ensuring publicly funded institutions do not promote divisive and potentially harmful ideologies. The bill’s passage through the Senate Education Committee passage signifies a strong step forward, however it has received limited vocal support from the Republican-led committee. Following this approval, it has been sent on to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review.
