Wisconsin Legislators To Introduce Campus Free Speech Bill

MADISON, WI — Citing multiple instances on Wisconsin campuses related to the suppression of constitutionally-protected political speech, two Wisconsin legislators are circulating a bill at the State Capitol that would set guidelines for how the University of Wisconsin System should facilitate a broad range of political speakers.

This week, State Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and State Rep. Cody Horlacher (R-Mukwonago) introduced a bill that they say would ensure free speech on UW campuses.

“Free speech is a foundational part of our constitution. Unfortunately, across the country and here in Wisconsin, we have seen examples of free speech being suppressed on our university campuses. Freedom of speech leads to freedom of thought, but all too often universities are teaching students what to think instead of how to think. This bill affirms the ability to engage in the free exchange of ideas without the fear of intimidation or disruption,” Kapenga said in a statement to Patch.

Supporters of the bill shared with Patch a number of free-speech incidents on Wisconsin campuses:

In 2017, conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro, also editor-in-chief of the the Daily Wire, delivered a speech on the campus of UW-Madison in 2017. According to a Badger Herald reportfrom that time, Shapiro's speech, “Dismantling Safe Spaces: Facts Don’t Care About Your Feelings," was overrun by protesters. Critics of Shapiro said he uses his public platform to advance positions that are reflective of white supremacists.

Tensions reached a fevered pitch when protesters formed a line in front of the stage, with UW Police Department officers, the Badger Herald reported.

In another instance, this time at UW-Stevens Point, school administrators had to overrule the university's student government in order to allow a handful of students to create a local chapter of Turning Point USA - a national conservative group.

At the time, the student government said Turning Point USA expressed anti-transgender views and posed dangers to instructors over its Professor Watch List.

The Bill

The bill, named the Campus Free Speech Bill, directs the UW Board of Regents to implement a policy on free expression which states it is not the role of an institution to shield individuals from speech protected by the First Amendment and that students and faculty have the freedom to discuss anything as permitted by the First Amendment.

The bill also directs the Board of Regents to implement disciplinary measures for anyone who engages in violent and disorderly conduct that interferes with the free expression of others while allowing a person whose rights have been violated to take action.

"Suppressing a viewpoint to ensure the protection of another, stifles the growth of new thought. We must ensure universities remain a place of openness and diversity for all opinions and viewpoints," Horlacher stated.