Bill > SB498

This bill aims to strengthen free speech and academic freedom protections for students and employees within the University of Wisconsin System and technical colleges, while also establishing clearer due process rights in disciplinary proceedings and creating avenues for legal action against governing boards for violations. Specifically, it defines academic freedom as the liberty to explore all areas of scholarship and express scholarly opinions without institutional restraint, emphasizing that institutions should not shield individuals from unwelcome ideas, though reasonable restrictions on speech that disrupts functioning, defames individuals, constitutes harassment, or invades privacy are still permitted. The bill also mandates that institutions conduct biennial surveys on free speech and bias, provide annual instruction on related rights, and requires a notice to be posted for four years if an institution is found to have violated these provisions, with potential legal action for damages and attorney fees available to those whose rights are infringed. Furthermore, it outlines due process guarantees in disciplinary proceedings, ensuring students, employees, and organizations accused of rule violations have the right to legal representation, access to evidence, and protection against conflicts of interest, with penalties like tuition freezes for repeated violations.

Education

https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb498