FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lance Gideon, Press Secretary
Lance.Gideon@iga.in.gov
317-234-9221
STATEHOUSE (Feb. 21, 2024) — A bill to reform higher education in Indiana passed the House Committee on Education with several amendments supported by State Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) today.
"The amendments make it absolutely clear that any university that retaliates against faculty members for the content of their research, for outside political activities or for criticism of administrators is in violation of the law," Deery said. "This is a historic win for academic freedom in Indiana."
Senate Bill 202 was also amended to remove language concerning the appointment of members of boards of trustees.
"I am grateful to the House Republicans for their support and making this bill better," Deery said. "I worked with the state's universities closely before the bill was heard in the Senate to get it to a point where most universities were generally either neutral or quietly supportive. Distortions of the bill by its opponents eroded some of that support. With these House amendments, I believe support for the bill is back closer to where it was when we started, and we should be on our way to passage."
The amended bill also now makes it clear that the diversity committees universities are required to maintain in existing law must support minorities, and not just underrepresented students. The bill also now has more limits on the situations in which individuals may complain to the Commission on Higher Education that universities are not following the law.
To learn more, click here.
Deery encourages constituents to contact him with any questions or concerns on this and other topics at Senator.Deery@iga.in.gov or 317-232-9400.
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State Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) represents Senate District 23,
which includes Fountain, Parke, Vermillion and Warren counties,
and portions of Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
