Liston Condemns Passage of Senate Bill 1

Today, state Senator Beth Liston (D-Dublin) issued the following statement after the Ohio Senate voted to pass the highly controversial Senate Bill 1:

“Bringing different perspectives together leads to better ideas. This bill shuts down programs that do just this,” said Senator Liston. ”Ohio leads the nation in higher education. Senate Bill 1 will harm our universities and our students.

Senate Bill 1 contains several provisions that would drastically change Ohio’s higher education landscape, including prohibiting university faculty members from striking; banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; and forbidding institutions of higher education from taking positions on “controversial beliefs or policies.” 

According to U.S. News, Ohio has nine schools in the top 200 public institutions in the United States, the fourth most in the country. Critics argue the passage of S.B. 1 would jeopardize the quality of Ohio’s higher education by driving away students, faculty, and critical business partnerships. 

Senate Bill 1 now goes to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.