Text of AZ SB 1694 (2025)

REFERENCE TITLE: higher education; withholding state monies State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025 SB 1694 Introduced by Senator Farnsworth An Act amending title 15, chapter 14, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 9.2; relating to higher education institutions. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Title 15, chapter 14, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 9.2, to read: ARTICLE 9.2. HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE START_STATUTE15-1893. Instruction on diversity, equity and inclusion; withholding state monies; definitions A. Notwithstanding any other law, a higher education institution in this state is ineligible to receive state monies in any fiscal year in which the higher education institution offers one or more courses on diversity, equity and inclusion. B. the state treasurer, the Arizona board of regents and the department of administration may not distribute state monies to any higher education institution in a fiscal year in which the higher education institution offers one or more courses on diversity, equity and inclusion. C. For the purposes of this section: 1. "course on Diversity, equity and inclusion": (a) Means any course that includes materials or instruction in the course description, overview, objectives, proposed student learning outcomes, examinations or graded assignments that do any of the following: (i) Relate contemporary American society to critical theory, whiteness, systemic racism, institutional racism, anti-racism, microaggressions, systemic bias, implicit bias, unconscious bias, intersectionality, gender identity, social justice, cultural competence, allyship, race-based reparations, race-based privilege, race-based diversity, gender-based diversity, race-based equity, gender-based equity, race-based inclusion or gender-based inclusion. (ii) Promote the idea that racially neutral or colorblind laws, policies or institutions perpetuate oppression, injustice, race-based privilege, including white supremacy and white privilege, or inequity by failing to actively differentiate on the basis of race, sex or gender. (iii) Promote the differential treatment of any individual or group of individuals based on race or ethnicity in contemporary American society. (iv) Promote the idea that a student is biased on account of the student's race or sex. (b) Does not include a course that identifies or discusses historical movements, ideologies or instances of racial hatred or race-based discrimination, including slavery, Indian removal, the Holocaust and Japanese-American internment in the course materials or instruction unless the materials or instruction do one or more of the activities listed in subdivision (a) of this paragraph. 2. "higher education institution" includes any of the following: (a) A university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents. (b) A community college as defined in section 15-1401. END_STATUTE