Bill description: HB 622 would ensure that public institutions of higher education do not infringe on the right to free speech on their campuses.

Rating: +1

Does it violate the spirit or the letter of either the US Constitution or the Idaho Constitution? Examples include restrictions on speech, public assembly, the press, privacy, private property, or firearms. Conversely, does it restore or uphold the protections guaranteed in the US Constitution or the Idaho Constitution? 


HB 622 would protect the rights of individuals on public campuses by adding the following language to Idaho Code: “Except as otherwise permitted by the first amendment to the United States constitution, no public institution of higher education shall abridge the constitutional freedom of any individual, including enrolled students, faculty and other employees, and invited guests, to speak on campus.”

This bill comes in the wake of recent protests on college campuses across the U.S., as countless speakers have had their invitations to speak reneged, and there have been other limitations on the free and open exchange of ideas on college campuses. HB 622 is a timely piece of legislation to protect the rights of all those who work, study, or teach on a public campus.

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