HARRISBURG – A York County lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to protect free speech on PA college campuses. Rep. Joe D’Orsie says institutions of higher learning should be greenhouses for free speech and divergent views, not systems that favor one particular perspective and shut out dissenting voices. His measure would prohibit PA’s public institutions of higher education from utilizing bias response teams which enable anonymous reporting of otherwise protected free speech and quash dissenting viewpoints. It would also bar them from assessing unreasonably high security fees for guest speakers on campus and create a private cause-of-action for those aggrieved by a violation of the bill’s provisions. Several colleges in the nation have scaled back bias response teams under the threat of lawsuits.
REP. JOE D’ORSIE