House approves bill to eliminate free speech zone restrictions on Colorado campuses – The Denver Post

In an effort to expose more college students to views with which they may disagree, the Colorado House of Representatives onTuesday voted to ban so-called free speech zones on public college campuses that have been used to confine public demonstrationsto designated areas.

Supporters say thatSenate Bill 62, approved unanimously by the House,is essential to making sure higher education remains a marketplace of ideas in which students are exposed to a variety of viewpoints even if those views may offend them.

Weve become too comfortable these days getting our news from peoplewe already agree with, said state Rep. Jeff Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, one of the bills three bipartisansponsors, at a committee hearing earlier this month. We silence those we disagree with either by tuning them out or by marginalizing them.

Campus free speech zones date to at least the 1960s, when Vietnam War and civil rights protests were prevalent. But in recent years, there has been a growingdebate about free expression on campus as more colleges and universities adopt policies that seek to insulate students from speechthey may find offensive or threatening.

Critics counter that so-called free speech zones actually stifle speech, by restricting it to places where few people will be exposed to it and Colorado on Tuesday took a step closer to joining other states that have sought to roll back such restrictions.

The Senate has already passed a version of the measure, and if the chamber agrees to the Houses changes, itwould need only the governors signature to become law.

The bill would prohibit the creation of free speech zones, along withany other policy suggesting that free speech is off limits in certain parts of campus. It would also allow students to sue and recover attorneys fees and court costs, though not damages if they feel their rights have been violated.

Colleges, meanwhile, would still be allowed to impose reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on speech such as making sure a protest doesnt interruptclass.

At a committee hearing earlier this month, students testified at length on the merits and problems with free speech zone policies, with one going so far as to say the First Amendment was under attack on college campuses.

College campuses are cradling students from different opinions that they dont agree with and were really not preparing students for the real world, said Juan Caro, a Colorado State University student and a member of the libertarian group Young Americans for Liberty.

The measure was initially met with resistancefrom universities, including the University of Colorado, but a lawyer representing CUultimately testified in favor of the bill, saying that the billpreserved the universitys ability to maintain student safety.

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House approves bill to eliminate free speech zone restrictions on Colorado campuses - The Denver Post