Weinstein Condemns Introduction of Senate Bill 1

Today, state Senator Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) issued the following statement after the introduction of Senate Bill 1, which would drastically impact the higher education landscape in Ohio. 

“Senate Bill 1 is a misguided attempt to micromanage higher education in Ohio, imposing unnecessary restrictions on our universities, faculty, and students,” said Weinstein “This bill is not about promoting free speech, it’s about silencing diverse perspectives and allowing harmful misinformation, like Holocaust denial, to be presented as legitimate discourse. This bill undermines the integrity of Ohio’s educational system and jeopardizes critical thinking in our classrooms.”

S.B. 1 would prevent higher education employees from striking and prohibit the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Furthermore, it will prevent the academic freedom of colleges and universities by barring their ability to endorse or oppose any controversial beliefs, policies, concepts, or ideologies.

“Ohio’s universities should be focused on providing the best education possible to students, not bogged down by bureaucratic overreach,” Weinstein continued. “S.B. 1 is a distraction that takes resources and attention away from real educational priorities. It will make it more difficult for Ohio to attract students and faculty, which will only hurt our state’s economic competitiveness in the long run.”

This bill is a reintroduction of the highly controversial S.B. 83 from the last General Assembly. In the previous session, it faced bipartisan opposition in both chambers as well as opponent testimony from nearly 500 Ohioans and organizations.