Georgia lawmaker's bill bans interference of free speech by colleges

State Senator William Ligon (R – St. Simons) filed legislation,SB 339, on Monday that would charge the state’s university/college boards of trustees with monitoring the administrative handling of free speech across Georgia.

The legislation was influenced by the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank organization. According to the report from the Goldwater Institute, “the model bill offers to change the balance of forces contributing to the current baleful national climate for campus free speech.”

Last month, The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reported that over half of the 461 schools studied limited free speech in some way. Over 90 percent of the nation’s top colleges report some form of policy regulating free speech on campus.

Within that FIRE report, Georgia had two colleges that have significant restrictions on free speech, the University of North Georgia and Georgia Southern University. Other Georgia colleges and universities prohibited free speech in some fashion, and that included Emory University, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, and the University of West Georgia. Most of Georgia’s institutions included in the report had some form of free speech zone on campus and have for many years.

Read more: http://evans.allongeorgia.com/ga-lawmakers-bill-bans-interference-of-free-speech-by-colleges/