ILLINOIS — State senators unanimously approved a
bill Thursday
that would protect student newspapers at Illinois public universities and
community colleges and negate the 2005 Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
decision in
Hosty v. Carter.
The bill, known as the College Campus
Press Act, passed the senate 57-0 and will within the next several weeks move to
the Illinois House of Representatives, beginning with the House Higher Education
Committee.
Illinois Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park), chairman of the
House Higher Education Committee, said Tuesday that while he was not familiar
with the finer details of the bill, he believes it probably will receive a "good
reception" from the committee.
"I don't think censorship has that many
supporters from the General Assembly," he said.
Illinois Sen. Susan
Garrett (D-Lake Forest) introduced the bill in early February with assistance
from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. The legislation designates
all public college and community college publications in the state as public
forums for student expression, effectively voiding
Hosty, which applies
in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. According to that ruling, public college
administrators could impose prior review and restraint on student newspapers if
the publication is not a designated public forum for student
expression.
By Brian Hudson, SPLC staff writer
