No DEI in DC Act

Bill Number

H.R. 5474

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-09-18: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Last Updated

2026-02-24T09:05:26Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

This bill, titled the "No Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the District of Columbia Act" or "No DEI in DC Act," aims to promote equal protection under the law and prevent what it describes as racism in the District of Columbia (D.C.) government. It does this by banning specific diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and racial equity training programs, while repealing or amending related D.C. laws and eliminating certain government offices.

Key Provisions

• Ban on Prohibited DEI Practices: The D.C. government is prohibited from engaging in activities that discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, biological sex, or national origin. This includes requiring employees to undergo or assent to training, statements, or codes that claim certain groups are inherently superior, inferior, oppressed, privileged, or unprivileged. It also bans personnel actions (like hiring or promotion decisions) based on refusal to participate in such activities, maintaining offices to promote them, or hiring consultants for them.
• Funding Restrictions: No federal or D.C. funds can support these prohibited practices, directly or indirectly, including funding entities that engage in them.
• Ban on DEI Training: The D.C. government cannot develop, implement, require, or fund training on DEI, critical theory (ideas critiquing power structures related to race, gender, etc.), intersectionality (overlapping social identities), sexual orientation, gender identity, or similar topics. Training cannot assert or require agreement that specific groups are systemically superior, inferior, etc.
• Elimination of Offices and Commissions: Abolishes numerous D.C. government offices and commissions focused on racial equity, Latino, African-American, Asian and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, women's, and health equity affairs. It also prohibits creating similar successor entities or maintaining DEI-related roles like chief diversity officers.
• Broader Bans on DEI Elements: Prohibits D.C. agencies from developing DEI plans, reports, surveys, employee resource groups based on protected characteristics, or equity teams. It also bans funding for affinity groups tied to race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
• Enforcement Mechanism: Individuals can sue the D.C. government in the U.S. District Court for the D.C. for violations, seeking remedies like court orders to stop violations, at least $1,000 per violation per day, attorney's fees, compensatory damages, and other relief.
• Exceptions and Safeguards: The bill does not affect traditional Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) offices or those enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, a federal law protecting people with disabilities). It includes a severability clause (if one part is ruled invalid, the rest remains in effect) and takes effect 90 days after enactment.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

The bill makes extensive amendments to D.C. laws across sectors, primarily by repealing or striking DEI-related provisions:

• Repeals Entire Acts and Offices: Fully repeals laws establishing offices for racial equity, Latino community development, African-American affairs, Asian and Pacific Islander affairs, LGBTQ+ affairs, women's commissions, health equity, and reparations (efforts to provide compensation for historical injustices). It also repeals the Racial Equity Achieves Results (REACH) Amendment Act and the Commemoration Task Force Act (related to historical events).
• Amendments to Procurement and Business Programs: Removes definitions and requirements for "diverse emerging fund managers," "disadvantaged business enterprises," and "equity impact enterprises" in small business assistance and construction contracts.
• Changes in Education, Health, and Social Services: Strikes DEI elements from pre-K expansion (removing diversity hiring goals), Title IX athletic equity (narrowing nondiscrimination to "sex" only), teacher workforce assessments, health reports on LGBTQ+ communities, perinatal mental health task forces, homeless services for LGBTQ+ youth, and victim services grants prioritizing diverse groups.
• Modifications in Budget, Policing, and Housing: Eliminates racial equity considerations in budgeting, tax policy, police training (repeals anti-white supremacy provisions), and community development objectives. Removes LGBTQ+ pride license plates and related funding.
• Pensions and Boards: Repeals diversity reporting for retirement boards and alters board compositions to remove diversity mandates (e.g., in child abuse prevention trusts).

These changes dismantle or neuter dozens of D.C.-specific statutes enacted over decades to address inequities.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: D.C. agencies will lose DEI infrastructure, including offices, training programs, and dedicated staff, potentially simplifying operations but requiring restructuring. Funding bans could redirect resources to non-DEI activities, affecting compliance with existing contracts or services.
• On Citizens: D.C. residents, especially from minority, LGBTQ+, women's, or immigrant communities, may lose access to targeted programs in housing, health, education, homelessness services, and victim support. Employees could face fewer mandatory trainings but risk lawsuits if DEI elements persist. Broader residents might see reduced focus on equity in public services like policing and budgeting.
• On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses solely on domestic D.C. governance.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• D.C. Government and Employees: Agencies, officials, and workers involved in DEI roles or programs will face abolition of positions and bans on related activities.
• Minority and Marginalized Communities: Groups targeted by repealed offices (e.g., African-American, Latino, Asian, LGBTQ+, women) may lose advocacy and support services.
• Businesses and Contractors: Small, local, and disadvantaged enterprises relying on D.C. procurement preferences could see reduced opportunities.
• Litigants and Advocates: Individuals or groups opposing DEI can use the private right of action to challenge practices, while DEI supporters may pursue legal challenges.
• Federal Oversight Bodies: Congress and courts gain enforcement tools over D.C. operations, as D.C. is a federal district without full statehood.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal Implications: Introduces a strong private right of action, empowering citizens to enforce the bans through federal court, which could lead to frequent litigation and financial penalties for D.C. The bill's broad definitions of "prohibited practices" might create ambiguity in implementation, inviting challenges over what qualifies as "substantially similar" to banned theories.
• Constitutional Implications: Invokes equal protection (14th Amendment principle ensuring fair treatment under law) to justify bans on practices seen as discriminatory, but could face lawsuits claiming it violates D.C.'s home rule authority (limited self-governance granted by Congress) or free speech by restricting trainings and expressions. The severability clause aims to protect the law's core if parts are struck down.
• Political Implications: As a congressional bill overriding D.C. laws, it highlights federal control over the district, potentially sparking debates on local autonomy. Introduced by Republican representatives, it targets progressive policies, which could polarize views on equity initiatives without altering federal DEI requirements elsewhere.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1]

Cosponsors (3)

Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4], Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1], Rep. Burchett, Tim [R-TN-2]

Recent Actions

• 2025-09-18: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
• 2025-09-18: Introduced in House
• 2025-09-18: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• No Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the District of Columbia Act — issued 2025-09-18 — PDF (23 pages)