Model Legislation Aims to Help Lawmakers Protect Free Expression on College Campuses: ALEC in Campus Reform
ALEC created two pieces of model legislation to protect students’ First Amendment rights.
Campus Reform, a project of the Leadership Institute, highlights ALEC model legislation regarding free speech on college campuses and higher education.
According to a study conducted by the Knight Foundation, a pro-free speech and pro-democracy organization, student dissatisfaction with the state of free expression at American institutions of higher education is growing. In 2021, for example, as many as 65% percent of college students felt that their campus climate was hostile to free speech.
To address this growing issue, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) created two pieces of model legislation to protect students’ First Amendment rights. These Acts are available for politicians to utilize as templates and introduce into their respective state legislatures.
According to their website, ALEC is America’s “[l]argest nonpartisan organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism.”
On Dec. 23 of last year, ALEC finalized the Free Speech in Higher Education Act. This piece of model legislation would prohibit public universities or colleges from implementing “bias response teams.”