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S. 641
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Grooms
Document Path: l:\s-res\lkg\017inte.kmm.lkg.docx
Introduced in the Senate on March 12, 2019
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on Education
Summary: The Campus Intellectual Diversity Act
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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3/12/2019 Senate Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 35)
3/12/2019 Senate Referred to Committee on Education
(Senate Journal-page 35)
View the latest legislative information at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO ENACT THE CAMPUS INTELLECTUAL DIVERSITY ACT, TO AMEND CHAPTER 59, TITLE 101 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO COLLEGES AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING GENERALLY, BY ADDING ARTICLE 4, TO PROVIDE FOR AN OFFICE OF PUBLIC POLICY EVENTS ON EVERY CAMPUS OF CERTAIN COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES, WHICH SHALL ORGANIZE, PUBLICIZE, AND STAGE DEBATES, GROUP FORUMS, AND INDIVIDUAL LECTURES THAT ADDRESS PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, AND TO REQUIRE EACH OFFICE OF PUBLIC POLICY EVENTS TO KEEP CERTAIN RECORDS AND MAKE CERTAIN INFORMATION PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. This act may be known and cited as "The Campus Intellectual Diversity Act".
SECTION 2. Chapter 59, Title 101 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 59-101-810. For the purposes of this article:
(1) 'Debate' means an event at which two or more participants speak in favor of opposing approaches to the same public policy dispute, after which each participant is allotted time to address and rebut the position presented by the opposing speaker or speakers.
(2) 'Group forum' means an event at which two or more speakers address a public policy dispute from divergent or opposing perspectives, after which each participant is allotted time to address questions from the audience and to comment on their fellow speakers' positions, if they so choose.
Section 59-101-820. The Commission on Higher Education shall establish, fund, and staff an Office of Public Policy Events on every campus of a college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10, the responsibilities of which shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) organizing, publicizing, and staging debates, group forums, and individual lectures that address, from multiple, divergent, and opposing perspectives, an extensive range of public policy issues widely discussed and debated in society at large;
(2) inviting speakers who hold a wide diversity of perspectives, from within and outside the campus community, to participate in debates, group forums, and individual lectures, with particular attention to inviting participants from outside the institution who hold perspectives on widely debated public policy issues otherwise poorly represented on campus;
(3) providing, as necessary, honoraria, travel, and lodging expenses to participants in debates, group forums, and individual lectures organized by the Office of Public Policy Events;
(4) maintaining a permanent, publicly accessible, searchable, and up-to-date calendar in print and Internet-accessible formats listing all events sponsored by the Office of Public Policy Events, and all other debates, group forums, and individual lectures open to the entire campus community at another college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10 that address public policy issues, itemizing the title of the event or lecture; the name and institutional affiliation of the speaker or speakers; and the office, institute, department, program, or organization that is sponsoring the event, excluding those events sponsored by off-campus groups in rented facilities;
(5) providing a printed and PDF-formatted copy of the previous academic year's annual public policy event calendar for all colleges or universities pursuant to Section 59-101-10, arranged chronologically for each individual college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10, to the public, the Governor, and the General Assembly by September first of each year, and preserving and making available to the public copies of all yearly event calendars in the libraries of the colleges or universities pursuant to Section 59-101-10; and
(6) making publicly available a complete video recording of every debate, group forum, and individual lecture organized by the Office of Public Policy Events on the Internet within ten in-session working days of an event, and maintaining the video recording in a fully public, Internet-accessible form for at least five years following the date of the event. Video recordings of every debate, group forum, and individual lecture organized by the Office of Public Policy Events at a given college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10 should also be permanently preserved within, and made available to the public through, the library of that college or university.
Section 59-101-830. At its discretion, for any given campus of a college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10, the Commission on Higher Education may assign the duties of the Office of Public Policy Events described in this article to an existing administrative office, so long as an administrator in that office is designated as the Director of Public Policy Events for that campus. In such cases, the duties and reporting responsibilities of the Office of Public Policy Events described in this article shall apply to the Director of Public Policy Events and his staff.
Section 59-101-840. The Office of Public Policy Events on any given campus of a college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10 shall directly report to either the university office responsible for compiling and reporting the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Graduation Rate Survey, or the Office of General Counsel on that campus.
Section 59-101-850. All debates, group forums, and individual lectures organized by the Office of Public Policy Events at a given college or university pursuant to Section 59-101-10 shall be open to all students, faculty, and staff at that college or university and, unless restricting attendance by persons unaffiliated with the university is necessary to achieve a compelling governmental interest, to the general public as well.
Section 59-101-860. Each Office of Public Policy Events may:
(1) organize a substantial number of debates, group forums, and individual lectures;
(2) obtain the participation of speakers who represent widely held views on opposing sides of the most widely discussed public policy issues of the day; and
(3) invite and host speakers who can ably articulate widely held perspectives on public policy issues otherwise poorly represented on campus."
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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March 18, 2019 at 11:28 AM