Pennsylvania SR 157: A Resolution encouraging Federal, State and local policymakers, educational institutions, workplaces and other organizations to adopt and uphold diversity, equity and inclusion principles that promote inclusivity, protect freedom of expression, remove barriers and provide equitable opportunities for all individuals to pursue their American Dream.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 1206
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 157
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY HAYWOOD, FONTANA, SAVAL, COSTA AND CAPPELLETTI,
OCTOBER 3, 2025
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, OCTOBER 3, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Encouraging Federal, State and local policymakers, educational
institutions, workplaces and other organizations to adopt and
uphold diversity, equity and inclusion principles that
promote inclusivity, protect freedom of expression, remove
barriers and provide equitable opportunities for all
individuals to pursue their American Dream.
WHEREAS, For generations, the American Dream has served as a
beacon of hope, embodying the ideals of opportunity, prosperity
and upward mobility and promising every individual the chance to
achieve success and fulfillment, as they define it, through hard
work and determination; and
WHEREAS, Many Pennsylvanians and Americans today feel that
their pursuit of the American Dream has become unattainable; and
WHEREAS, The American Dream belongs to all people, not solely
to billionaires and multimillionaires, and thrives when access
to opportunity is broadened; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania and the nation have achieved their
greatest accomplishments by harnessing the strengths of all
individuals, regardless of identity, to address our most
significant challenges; and
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WHEREAS, Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) represents a
centuries-old movement rooted in America's founding principles
and its enduring legacy of civil rights and social justice
efforts, aimed at delivering laws, policies and initiatives that
fulfill the promises of the Constitution of the United States;
and
WHEREAS, Historic DEI policies, including the 19th Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States, the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, among others,
reflect corrective legislative and legal actions taken
throughout our nation's history to expand and guarantee access
to educational, economic and civic opportunities; and
WHEREAS, DEI principles and policies promote equal access to
opportunities, cultivate an environment of respect and belonging
and ensure that every individual, regardless of background, can
fully participate in all aspects of society; and
WHEREAS, DEI is essential to building a society where all
individuals are valued, heard and included by removing barriers
to opportunity and allowing merit to shine; and
WHEREAS, DEI widens pathways to the American Dream for every
community, enabling all people to share in the benefits of our
nation's prosperity; and
WHEREAS, Freedom of speech and expression are fundamental
constitutional rights, safeguarding the ability of individuals
to voice their ideas and opinions without government
interference, punishment or retaliation; and
WHEREAS, Efforts by anti-DEI activists, politicians and
corporate decision makers to prohibit DEI infringe upon
individuals' rights to free expression, diminish the diversity
of perspectives that strengthen society and conflict with
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antidiscrimination laws; and
WHEREAS, Common DEI initiatives, permissible under law, seek
to address the effects of past discrimination by combating
biases, eliminating unjustifiable barriers and fostering
inclusion within educational institutions, including:
(1) Positively considering, in admissions or hiring, an
individual's personal experiences with or demonstrated
ability to remedy anti-Black racism, anti-LGBTQ bigotry,
anti-Asian racism, antisemitism or other forms of systemic
discrimination, bias or bigotry.
(2) Offering university programming or events focused on
specific groups based on race, ethnicity, gender or sexual
orientation or particular societal biases or discrimination.
(3) Providing affinity groups or themed residence halls
that are open to all students but centered on a specific
group or identity.
(4) Conducting anti-harassment trainings to equip campus
stakeholders with tools to address implicit biases and
pervasive race and gender-based assumptions in society.
(5) Tracking applicants' racial and gender identities
and evaluating the aggregate impact of hiring or admissions
processes along racial or gender lines.
(6) Taking affirmative steps to address unjustifiable
disparities in hiring or admissions.
(7) Adopting admissions or hiring criteria to racially
integrate historically white universities such as eliminating
legacy preferences or application fees, ensuring equitable
representation from feeder schools or regions or reducing
reliance on criteria that favor inherited advantage over
individual talent or potential.
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(8) Supporting professional and impartial internal
investigation and compliance units to promptly track,
investigate and respond to com