Ohio House OKs bill to ban colleges from blocking controversial speakers, setting up 'free speech

[TexasTowelie]

Ohio House OKs bill to ban colleges from blocking controversial speakers, setting up ‘free speech zones’


COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio House on Wednesday passed legislation that would prohibit public colleges and universities in the state from taking steps to ban controversial speakers on campus or set up “free speech zones.”

Senate Bill 40, which passed along a mostly party-line 65-27 vote, now heads back to the Ohio Senate for a final vote. While the legislation previously passed the Senate unanimously, the House added a new provision that would offer in-state tuition rates to GED holders who return to Ohio from another state.

SB 40, dubbed the “Forming Open and Robust University Minds Act” (or FORUM Act) would ban state colleges and universities, as well as school officials, from taking any action to stop free-speech on campus except for “reasonable” and “content-neutral” restrictions that “provide for ample alternative means for expressive activities.”

It specifically prohibits campus “free speech zones” (designated areas for protests or demonstrations), bans charging a security fee for invited speakers. It also outlaws other policies that effectively curb freedom of expression, such as “trigger warnings” that alert people ahead of time about potentially distressing material, according to state Rep. Niraj Antani, a Dayton-area Republican.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/12/ohio-house-oks-bill-to-ban-colleges-from-blocking-controversial-speakers-setting-up-free-speech-zones.html