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Bill > HB1473
VA HB1473
VA HB1473Higher educational institutions, public; restrictions on student speech, limitations.
summary
Introduced
01/23/2026
01/23/2026
In Committee
01/23/2026
01/23/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Regular Session
Bill Summary
Public institutions of higher education; students and campus; restrictions on student speech; limitations. Clarifies the requirements for and limitations on the ability of a public institution of higher education to impose restrictions on the time, place, or manner of student speech that occurs in outdoor areas of the institution's campus and is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States by (i) clarifying the criteria for demonstrating that the restriction is permissible; (ii) prohibiting any public institution of higher education from imposing certain restrictions, punishments, policies, or restraints designed to restrict student speech in ways that violate the First Amendment rights of students, faculty, and staff; and (iii) requiring any public institution of higher education that deems any student speech or assembly unlawful and imposes a restriction on the time, place, or manner of such speech to submit to the Senate Committee on Education and Health and the House Committee on Education within 45 days of imposing such restriction a report detailing the justification for such restriction, demonstrating how the restriction satisfies the criteria required pursuant to applicable law and the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
AI Summary
This bill clarifies and strengthens protections for student speech at public colleges and universities in Virginia, ensuring that restrictions on speech in outdoor campus areas, protected by the First Amendment (the fundamental right to free expression), are permissible only if they are reasonable, content-neutral (not based on the message), narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest (like preventing substantial disruption to the educational process, not just fear of disruption), and leave open other ways for students to communicate. It prohibits institutions from requiring prior approval for student assemblies, banning amplified sound during daytime outdoor assemblies (though volume can be regulated), withholding degrees for assembly participation, restricting expressive activity to designated zones, or keeping records of disciplinary actions for assemblies for longer than a year. Furthermore, any time a public institution deems student speech or assembly unlawful and imposes restrictions, it must report the justification and demonstrate how the restriction meets legal standards to legislative committees within 45 days.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Continued to next session in Education (Voice Vote) (on 02/11/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1473 |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1473/text/HB1473HC1 |
| Fiscal Note/Analysis - Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1473) | https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1133598.PDF |
| BillText | https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1473/text/HB1473 |
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