Rep. Young Kim to Introduce Bill Blocking Federal Funds for Discriminatory Student Aid

and Purpose Congresswoman Young Kim

plans to introduce the Stop DEI Act on Wednesday. The legislation would block federal funding for schools that discriminate based on race, sex, ethnicity, color, or national origin in student aid decisions. This measure responds to a proposed state constitutional amendment known as ACA 7, which would permit race-based and sex-based preferences in most public education programs if approved by voters.

Young Kim stated that schools awarding aid based on merit or financial need would not be affected. com that the bill targets institutions prioritizing identity over equal treatment. Kim added that no one should be reduced to a DEI checkbox based on categories like Asian, Black, Hispanic, or White.

7, if passed, would amend the state constitution to allow preferences in public education while maintaining bans on discrimination in public employment and contracting. The amendment has passed one state legislative chamber and needs approval from another before reaching the November ballot.

com reported that a Democratic assemblymember authored the legislation, and outreach for comment went unanswered. In 1996, voters approved a measure prohibiting discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, and contracting.

Voters rejected a similar attempt to restore such considerations in 2020. Kim stated that ACA 7 would prioritize identity over equal treatment and undo progress toward equal treatment under the law.

com that ACA 7 would scale back protections against discrimination in K-12 public schools and higher education, except for admissions and enrollment. He described the admissions carve-out as an attempt to circumvent a 2023 Supreme Court ruling barring race-conscious affirmative action in college enrollment.

Jacobson argued that the ruling's equal protection principles apply beyond admissions. Jacobson sent a letter to state committees expressing opposition, stating the measure violates the Fourteenth Amendment and the 1996 voter-approved protections. He noted that the Stop DEI Act could deter some schools if non-discrimination provisions are lifted, but emphasized that such legislation should not be necessary if current standards are upheld.

She expressed hope that voters would elect leaders to prevent repeated attempts to alter discrimination protections. In 2020, a proposition to allow gender or ethnicity considerations in public sectors was rejected by voters.