COLUMBUS — Ohio Republican lawmakers are sending another message to the state’s public colleges and universities, introducing legislation that would tie institutions’ state funding to their compliance with last year’s sweeping higher education overhaul.
House Bill 698 would build on Senate Bill 1, which took effect in June 2025 and required institutions to submit a host of policies and statements to the state, including a five-year cost summary and plans to end academic programs that enroll few students. The new bill would create a formal, annual process in which campus leaders must explicitly confirm they are adhering to Senate Bill 1’s rules — or risk losing a portion of their most significant pool of state money.
Unlike the most recent state budget, which imposed a similar requirement strictly on state universities, House Bill 698 would also include community and technical colleges. Among its other provisions, the legislation would require colleges to produce a “justification report” outlining any employees who continued to work on duties related to diversity, equity, and inclusion after Senate Bill 1 required institutions to end those efforts.
Senate Bill 1 was one of the most contentious education laws in recent Ohio history. It ended DEI efforts at public institutions, mandated that faculty publicly post their course syllabi, and required students to complete an American civics course before graduating.
Republican leaders said the state needed the overhaul to get rid of what they viewed as colleges’ longstanding liberal bias. Critics, meanwhile, worried the legislation would stifle free speech and make campuses less attractive to prospective students and employees.
The new legislation signals that the debate is far from over, with lawmakers now looking to put financial teeth behind the compliance requirements they imposed last year.
