Bill > HB2472

This bill, known as the Forming Open and Robust University Minds (FORUM) Act, aims to protect freedom of speech, expression, and association at postsecondary educational institutions in Kansas, which are defined as public universities, municipal universities, community colleges, and technical colleges. It declares all outdoor campus areas as public forums, prohibiting institutions from restricting speech to designated "free speech zones" and allowing time, place, and manner restrictions only if they are narrowly tailored, content-neutral, clearly published, and offer alternative expression methods. The act permits individuals to engage in lawful, noncommercial expressive activity in outdoor areas without prior approval, as long as it doesn't "materially and substantially disrupt" campus operations, meaning it significantly hinders others' activities through violence, threats, or physical obstruction, excluding minor or fleeting nonviolent disruptions. Institutions are forbidden from requiring permits based solely on a speaker's affiliation, imposing advance notice for spontaneous assemblies, prioritizing affiliated speakers, or using policies that act as censorship. Furthermore, student organizations cannot be denied benefits, such as recognition or use of facilities, based on their mission, beliefs, membership standards, or adherence to organizational values. The bill mandates that institutions publish their speech policies online and in student handbooks, train staff on these policies, and submit an annual report to the legislature and governor detailing speech restrictions, disruptions, legal actions, monetary damages awarded, and policy changes. Individuals or student organizations aggrieved by a violation can sue the institution for declaratory relief or an injunction, and if a violation is found, the court can order compliance, impose monetary damages up to $5,000 per violation, and award attorney fees and court costs if the violation was not made in good faith or without a reasonable basis. The act also extends protections to online expression, prohibiting retaliation against individuals or organizations for protected speech on digital platforms and requiring that any disciplinary action for online speech meet the same standards as on-campus speech, with institutions unable to require pre-publication approval for digital content unless narrowly tailored to address compelling interests like threats of violence.

Budget and Finance

Higher Education Budget (House)

https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2472/