A DEI program administrator on Thursday said a ban moving through the legislature would derail efforts to close disparities all over the state.

After more than two hours of heated debate, the state Senate late Thursday afternoon approved a measure to ban diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, offices or employees at any state universities or state agencies.

The move came less than a month after Gov. Mike Braun signed an executive order terminating DEI efforts in state government and amid a broader national effort by conservatives to dismantle DEI programs.