(Columbus, OH) Free speech on campus is at the heart of a bill introduced at the Ohio Statehouse.
A pair of Republican lawmakers are proposing a bill which seeks to protect speakers' appearances at Ohio colleges and calls on campuses to punish students who disrupt them.
The bill would restrict creation of campus "free speech" zones and require college leadership to establish sactions for students who interfere with the "free expression of others." Ohio campuses could be sued if someone feels their First Amendment rights were restricted.
The bill would also ban universities from disinviting certain speakers because of protests. Similar bills are emerging in other states, as conservatives react to recent university decisions to cancel certain speakers fearing violent protests.