Kentucky
Kentucky lawmakers advance stricter version of anti-DEI bill. Here’s what it would ban
FRANKFORT — Savannah Fernandez Searcy, a senior at the University of Louisville, said part of the reason why she studied abroad is because of a scholarship specifically for the Latino population.
She’s worried those scholarships could now be in jeopardy as Kentucky lawmakers push a bill that would limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at colleges and universities.
Senate Bill 6, also known one of the “anti-DEI” bills in this year’s session, passed out of the House Education Committee Thursday afternoon after over an hour of testimony.
The bill almost unrecognizable from the Senate version of the bill, though, after a House committee substitute.
The Senate’s version of the bill prohibits colleges and universities from requiring students and faculty to “describe the attitude or actions in support of or in opposition to specific ideologies or beliefs” to receive admission, employment, promotions or graduation.
But the House’s committee substitute is a condensed version of House Bill 9, which comes down harder on DEI polices.
The committee substitute, which has not yet been posted online, bans race-based scholarships and defunds DEI offices and officer positions. It also prohibits the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary education from approving degrees that require courses containing “discriminatory concepts.”
The bill could be heard by the full House of Representatives as early as Friday.
As of Thursday morning, Rep. Kevin Jackson, R-Bowling Green, said SB 6 sponsor Sen. Mike Wilson didn’t know the changes that had been made to his bill.
Supporters of the bill said it is supposed to promote critical thinking and constructive dialogue and promote intellectual and viewpoint diversity.
Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, said that the bill is supposed to hold colleges and universities accountable.
“It would ensure the post-secondary system in Kentucky is held accountable to dismantle systems in Kentucky that have misguided DEI bureaucracies that have cost Kentucky taxpayers an unknown amount, but at least tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars, over the past 13 years — a time period in which our campuses have also experienced a dramatic drop in overall enrollment in students,” Decker said.
Gavin Cooper, a community and leadership development student at the University of Kentucky, said he supported the bill because he believes it will protect academic freedom.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have professors that truly push the bounds of debate in our classrooms, but I know from students and professors with which I’ve talked that is not the case across campus” Cooper said. “No one on campus should feel fear that they will be punished for their thoughts in the classroom.”
Kentucky is following a part of a larger trend of conservative states striking down DEI policies at colleges and universities. More recently, Florida banned its colleges and universities from using state and federal funds for the programs.
In an opinion issued on Thursday, the Kentucky Attorney General said public universities that have certain DEI policies violate the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act.
Attorney General Russell Coleman said in the opinion that it’s unconstitutional to use underrepresented minorities as a metric for funding college.
The legislation lacks support, though, from some Kentucky colleges and universities.
University of Kentucky’s president took a rare step and spoke out against the bills that curb DEI inclusion efforts on campus. Meanwhile, the University of Louisville released a statement in support of DEI programs. Both institutions have a dedicated office for DEI initiatives and program offerings.
Fernandez Searcy said supporters of the bill misunderstand DEI.
“It’s both upsetting and also infuriating to me personally, because I think DEI, especially in Kentucky, has become synonymous with discriminatory, and this idea of whatever people think reverse racism may be,” Fernandez Searcy said. “But, in actuality, it’s about lifting up these underrepresented groups, empowering them and making sure that they have access to the same opportunities that the entire student body has.”
During the education committee hearing, other critics of the bill said it will bring unintended consequences for minority students.
Travis Powell, vice president and general counsel for the Council of Postsecondary Education, said the council opposes the bill because it could potentially hurt recruitment and support of underrepresented students at colleges and universities.
“We simply can’t afford to leave anybody behind at any of our campuses, and we’ll do everything we can in order to help them be successful,” Powell said. “We fear that this legislation may limit that in some form or fashion, even if those resource centers still exist.”
Felicia Nu’Man, director of public policy for policy and justice for the Louisville Urban League, said the bill will claw back on progress that’s been made in Kentucky and make students less educated and competitive compared to peers at other universities.
The bill passed out of committee on a 13-3 vote. Jackson and Rep. Scott Lewis, R-Hartford, passed on voting.
Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at @hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 10, 2026) — Growing up in Grayson County, Hollie Hagan always knew she wanted to help people. She just wasn’t sure what that looked like.
Like many students entering college, Hagan originally envisioned a career in healthcare. She planned to study nutrition and dietetics, inspired by time spent volunteering at her local food pantry. But an internship with the Grayson County Health Department during her senior year of high school introduced her to a field she hadn’t even realized existed — public health.
“I had no clue what a health department does or even what public health was,” Hagan said. “Then I got there and saw all the ways they were helping people, both directly and indirectly. I thought, ‘This is something I really want to be a part of.’”
That experience changed everything.
Alongside her coursework, she has served as a College of Public Health senator in the Student Government Association, has moderated public health panels and is participating in the Rural Public Health Scholars Program, a combination of course- and fieldwork that places students in rural communities to work on projects aimed at improving health outcomes.
But throughout those experiences, one goal has remained constant — returning to the community that helped shape her.
“I’ve realized that with public health you can make an impact on any level,” said Hagan, who is also a Lewis Honors College student. “For me, I want to be at the local level helping people.”
That desire has been evident since she first arrived at the Grayson County Health Department.
Josh Horton, public health director for the Grayson County Health Department, said Hagan quickly distinguished herself through both her work ethic and willingness to learn.
“Hollie has always been a very capable person,” he said. “You just give her instructions, and she runs with it.”
While Hagan entered her high school internship knowing she was interested in leadership, Horton watched her interests evolve as she gained firsthand experience in public health.
“When she came back to us and said, ‘I want to do something in public health,’ that was a reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Horton said. “Our goal has always been to inspire people to go into public health. We’d love for them to come back to Grayson County, but as long as they end up serving somewhere in public health, we consider it a win.”
For Hagan, public health offered something she hadn’t found elsewhere — the opportunity to create ripple effects that improve the health and well-being of entire communities.
“I think it’s important to learn about health at a community level,” she said. “You’re not just learning how to treat one person. You’re learning how to impact everyone in a community, which I think is just so amazing and unique.”
Her time at the College of Public Health has given Hagan opportunities to grow both as a student and a leader. One of those experiences came when she moderated the Big Blue Public Health Illumination Seminar Series on Summer Safety and Emergency Preparedness, bringing together public health professionals and community leaders for a discussion on issues affecting Kentucky communities.
Hosting her first public health panel was intimidating, she said, but it quickly became one of her most rewarding experiences.
“Once the conversation got going, I found myself learning just as much as everyone else in the room,” Hagan said. “We had such a great group of panelists, and it really highlighted the work happening in rural communities.”
Among those panelists was Horton, who saw Hagan confidently guide conversations around the very work she’d experienced during her internship.
“To see her take what she learned here in Grayson County and then lead a panel discussing those ideas at the university was exciting,” he said. “It’s rewarding because it reminds us why we invest in students.”
This summer, Hagan has returned to Grayson County for her fieldwork portion of the Rural Public Health Scholars Program, continuing to build experience in environmental health — an area she now hopes to pursue professionally as a registered environmental health specialist.
Long term, she sees herself building a career in rural public health.
“I like being on the go,” Hagan said. “I like being out in the community, doing site visits, talking with people and making a difference.”
For Horton, that commitment reflects something deeper than career ambition.
“It takes a certain heart to stay in rural public health,” he said. “There are opportunities to go elsewhere, but people who choose rural communities do it because they want to serve. Hollie has that same heart.”
Looking back, Hagan never expected a high school job-shadowing experience and a food pantry volunteer position would lead her to public health. Now, she hopes other students discover the field just as she did.
“If you want to have a larger impact, come to the College of Public Health,” she said. “You’ll learn how to improve the health of an entire community.”
For Hagan, that community has always been Grayson County—and she hopes one day to return home and help it thrive.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet has released new information regarding the release of the man convicted in the death of Logan Tipton.
Ronald Exantus, 42, will be released from the Kentucky State Reformatory on July 29. Still, before that, he may be subject to involuntary hospitalization due to his not being found guilty by reason of insanity on one count of murder and one count of burglary.
According to a letter sent on June 5 by the cabinet to Chief Circuit Court Judge Jeremy Mattox, Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelli Kearney, and Department of Public Advocacy Directing Attorney Josh Miller, the court has the opportunity to begin involuntary hospitalization proceedings against Exantus, as mentioned in the judgment against him.
READ THE LETTER BELOW
Per Kentucky law, when a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity, the court shall order an involuntary hospitalization; the court may also order a 10-day detention period to allow proceedings to be initiated.
The cabinet states in the letter that it does not have the authority to initiate the proceedings because Exantus was found guility but mentally on three counts of assault.
WKYT has reached out to the Woodford County Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Department of Public Advocacy to ask whether involuntary hospitalization procedures are being initiated in this case. We have yet to hear back.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Kentucky state lawmakers held a town hall Wednesday night at the South Central Regional Library in south Louisville to hear directly from residents about concerns over hyperscale AI data centers — one of several public meetings on the issue in recent months, but the first organized by legislators themselves.
State senators and representatives convened the meeting on their own time, during the legislative off-season, ahead of January’s session.
“This is a time to bring people together, allow community to have their voice heard, and us take that information back so when it does come time for January, we have the right information in order to create policy that is going to be good for our constituents,” said Sen. Keturah Herron.
Residents, advocates, and organizers packed the library to raise concerns about energy demand, water use, noise, transparency, and whether costs would be passed to everyday utility customers.
Rep. Lisa Wellner cautioned that the legislative fight ahead would be difficult.
“The utilities lobby is very, very powerful in Frankfort…These are going to be the same powerful moneyed forces we’re going to be up against with these hyperscale data centers,” Wellner said.
Sen. Gary Clemons, a 30-year chemical industry veteran, drew a comparison between the potential impact of AI data centers and the effects of factories already bordering some Louisville neighborhoods.
“I negotiate with multi-million, billion dollar companies every day. I’m ready to go toe-to-toe with them now, if we’re ready to do it,” Clemons said.
U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey also attended the meeting.
“I am sick and tired and done with out-of-state corporations coming into our state, our home, our community — and using our resources, wasting and exploiting our people for their gain,” McGarvey said.
Attendee Virginia Bush, who came with a list of concerns about the city’s draft regulations, said halting data centers entirely was not realistic but that inaction was not an option.
“We know it’s not realistic to stop all of them, because people use the data in their everyday life…but they need to be regulated so that these things aren’t causing damage to the communities and to the environment,” Bush said.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
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