TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A bill Republicans tout as a crackdown on "indoctrination" in higher education advanced Wednesday afternoon, clearing its second of three state Senate committees.
Lawmakers also approved a major revision of SB 266.It was originally touted as a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida colleges and universities.
The latest language doesn't mention them by name, just a prohibition on programs using "…theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities."
Core school courses also couldn't contain the same concepts. Students would only be able to access education on those theories in higher-level specialty courses.
"Nothing in this bill is meant to prohibit speech or to keep facts from being presented," Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, the bill sponsor. "One of the purposes of this bill is to guard against compelling speech."
Beyond that— university presidents would wield the ultimate hiring authority at schools. Plus the rewrite no longer allows post-tenure review of faculty at any time for cause. Instead, it mandates them every five years.
"It is total censorship, and that's what this was about from the beginning," Genesis Robinson with Equal Ground Florida said.
Robinson dropped off more than 500 signatures from those opposed to the changes. He and others worried lawmakers were advancing a plan that would whitewash Black history.
"These are people who are paying for a product that now has to be watered down," Robinson said.
Democrats agreed in the debate on the bill. They urged Republicans to vote "no" for the sake of students and educators, who, they said, may leave the state.
"If you don't think what we're doing is not going to have a chilling effect — or isn't already having a chilling effect — you are sadly mistaken," Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said.
Members of the GOP majority pushed back. Sen. Keith Perry noted the policy requires the teaching of history, saying Republicans are seeking the truth without ideology.
"When people talk about history not being taught, I don't know where we find that in the bill," Perry said. "I just don't know where we find that. History is going to be taught. History is not going to be— what we can't do is have history diluted down."
It resulted in another party-line vote, sending SB 266 to its final Senate committee before reaching the floor.
The House version also has one more committee stop before reaching its chamber floor. Both versions will also have to rectify their differences if Republicans want to get the bill on the governor's desk.
