Our South Carolina lawmakers made a grand announcement last week, claiming they are taking action with their brand-new bill, H.3927, which will shut down DEI once and for all—banning these programs across all state agencies and universities.
Now, before we jump onto the celebration parade, it's best to do what we at ConservaTruth do best: read the bill. So we did. And we strongly encourage you to do the same. It’s not a long bill—just 1 ½ pages.
Also, use our Tips to Reading a Bill series to help you understand the bill. These tips help, a lot!
Why H.3927 Doesn’t End DEI—It Ensures It Stays
Let’s break down why this bill actually doubles down on DEI rather than eliminating it—similar to how Common Core morphed into “College and Career Readiness.”
❌ Federal Law Deference, not good!
The bill defers to federal law multiple times, ensuring federal mandates override any state-level restrictions. Here’s where:
Section 1-1-1910(A)(1):
"... in accordance with any applicable state and federal antidiscrimination laws."
Section 1-1-1910(B):
"Except as required by federal law..."
Section 1-1-1910(A)(3) & (A)(4):
"Ensuring compliance with any applicable court order or state or federal law."
Section 1-1-1910(D)(2):
"Certifies compliance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws."
By embedding these phrases, the bill prioritizes federal authority over state law, making any supposed state-level autonomy meaningless. The federal government controls the show, and this bill makes sure that remains the case.
The federal government heavily pushes DEI through grant funding, regulatory requirements, and accreditation mandates. Colleges and universities, for example, must comply with federal nondiscrimination and affirmative action laws to remain accredited.
❌ Exceptions Everywhere
Beyond federal overrides, the bill includes higher education loopholes that let DEI continue under different labels.
Section 1-1-1910(E) Section (E) - Higher Education Carve-Outs
Academic course instruction is untouched.
Professors can still teach about DEI-related topics.
Scholarly research and dissemination remain protected.
This allows universities to fund and publish DEI-based research.
Student organizations are exempt.
Any student group that promotes DEI can continue to operate.
Guest speakers and performers are exempt.
Universities can still invite DEI-focused speakers under short-term engagements.
Programs enhancing student achievement or postgraduate outcomes are allowed. This broad wording allows universities to continue DEI-like policies as long as they don’t explicitly label them based on race, gender, etc.
Data collection is untouched.
Universities can still track and report demographic data, which is often used to justify DEI policies.
So, it seems that institutions can keep DEI programs—as long as they use a different name.
❌ The Accreditation Loophole
Accrediting agencies push DEI policies as part of their standards. Since this bill explicitly allows institutions to submit statements for accreditation, schools can justify keeping DEI programs under the excuse of compliance. This is a rubber stamp for DEI to continue.
Compliance?
Another telling section of the bill outlines how institutions must certify compliance.
The bill requires institutions to submit reports stating they are not funding DEI. However, there’s no meaningful enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance.
Contradiction? How can institutions certify compliance if federal law requires them to maintain DEI-related policies?
❌ This Bill Rebrands DEI, It Doesn’t Ban It
If lawmakers were serious about ending DEI, they wouldn’t:
Defer to federal law, which is steeped in DEI-driven policies.
Include exceptions that explicitly allow DEI to continue.
Leave loopholes that let institutions justify race-based initiatives under different terminology.
H.3927 is not the solution—it’s a rebranding bill.
What Should Be Done Instead?
South Carolinians deserve honesty. If legislators actually want to eliminate DEI, the only real solution is to:
Stop relying on federal funding—because with federal money comes federal control.
Remove government involvement in education—since state-run institutions will always be vulnerable to federal mandates.
Cut the legal and bureaucratic ties that force compliance with DEI-friendly policies under the guise of funding, accreditation, and civil rights enforcement.
Anything short of this is political theater. This bill pretends to ban DEI while keeping education under federal oversight. Legislators either need to get serious about sovereignty—or admit they aren’t really trying to fix the problem.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not constitute legal or professional advice. ConservaTruth assumes no liability for any actions taken based on this content. Read more.
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