Senate Bill 845 Summary

• Prohibits Oklahoma higher education institutions from establishing or maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices or hiring employees to perform DEI duties, except as required by federal law.

• Bans institutions from requiring diversity statements, giving preferential treatment based on race/sex/ethnicity, or mandating DEI training for enrollment or participation in institution functions.

• Requires institutions to adopt discipline procedures including potential termination for employees or contractors who violate these provisions, and allows exceptions for academic instruction, scholarly research, student organizations, and student recruitment.

• Mandates State Auditor and Inspector conduct compliance audits of each institution at least once every four years, with institutions having 180 days to cure violations or becoming ineligible for funding increases.

• Requires institutions to submit compliance reports to the Legislature and State Regents before spending allocated funds beginning July 1, 2026, and mandates biennial studies on the impact of these restrictions on student application, acceptance, matriculation, retention, and graduation rates.