State Senator Bill DeMora, a Democrat from Columbus, represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District, which includes Franklin County communities such as Clintonville, Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, South Linden, Italian Village, Victorian Village, Ohio State University, and Northland.
Though I haven’t been in the Senate very long, I’ve seen my fair share of outrageous bills, and Senate Bill 1 is by far the worst.
It is authoritarian, anti-union, anti-free speech, and a cowardly demonstration of the majority party’s inability to defend its beliefs in the marketplace of ideas unless it has complete control of the market.
The Ohio Senate did, however, pass the “Advance Ohio Education Act”. It should be titled the Ohio Higher Education Destruction Act.
Senate Bill 1 represents a coordinated, national attack on public colleges and universities, beginning with an assault on professors’ workplace protections.
If it becomes law, it will limit professors’ ability to bargain collectively. Expect layoffs, downsizing, and the end of tenure for our best professors.
Professors have backs against wall
This is the largest union-busting move since Senate Bill 5 in 2011, which was rejected by over 60% of the voters. And yet, it gets worse! Senate Bill 1 also strips away faculty’s right to strike, leaving them without any ability to advocate for themselves in a meaningful way.
However, this bill goes beyond simply attacking our professors.
It also targets our students and, more dangerously, the very concept of truth.
Senate Bill 1 prohibits universities from endorsing or opposing “controversial beliefs,” but the term “controversial” means “any belief or policy that is the subject of political controversy.”
This is absurd. Under that definition, almost anything could be considered controversial. And, while this bill does not explicitly state that “professors must censor their speech how we like,” there is no other way that it could be implemented. Professors will be silenced on almost all topics.
If this bill is passed, students may stand up in class and claim that grass is blue, Martin Luther King Jr. supported invading Canada, or the Nazis were correct, and if a professor corrects them, the professor may be breaking the law, and the university may lose all funding.
In fact, this bill may not only prevent professors from stating the truth, but it may also require that both sides of every issue be taught, regardless of whether there is overwhelming evidence against one side.
Imagine being forced to teach that the Nazis had valid beliefs that should be given equal weight in any discussion, or that scientifically proven facts about vaccines or sexual assault should be weighed against baseless conspiracy theories or lies. It is as terrifying as it is morally repugnant.
This bill contains so much toxic language that I couldn’t possibly cover it all here.
Ohio State isn’t turning students Democrat, just asked Jim Jordan and JD Vance
But let’s focus on the main takeaway. Republicans claim they need all of this anti-free speech and anti-union rhetoric because there is no intellectual diversity on our college campuses and students are being “brainwashed” into becoming Democrats.
That’s a lie.
I know this because the Vice President of the United States attended Ohio State as a Republican and graduated as one.
The same is true for Congressmen Jim Jordan and Mike Carey, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Attorney General Dave Yost, Auditor Keith Faber, the President of the Senate, and six of my other Statehouse colleagues.
The Ohio State College Republicans hold regular events and have over 1,000 social media followers. Similar lists could be created for all public institutions in Ohio.
Republicans are not being attacked in higher education.
The General Assembly simply wants the ability to punish universities for telling the truth.
State Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, represents Ohio’s 25th Senate District, which encompasses areas of Franklin County, including Clintonville, Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights, South Linden, Italian Village, Victorian Village, Ohio State University, and Northland.
