Louisiana’s Democrat Governor Vetoes Campus Free Speech Bill
“This bill is a solution in search of a problem”
Lawmakers in Louisiana thought the bill was needed but the governor disagrees.
The Daily Caller reports:
Louisiana Governor Vetoes ‘Overly Burdensome’ Campus Free Speech Bill
The Louisiana governor vetoed a campus free speech bill Tuesday, suggesting that guaranteeing free speech rights for students would be “overly burdensome.”
John Bel Edwards, the Democratic governor of Louisiana, decried the bill as a “solution in search of a problem,” according to Campus Reform. House Bill 269 had previously passed the Louisiana Senate by a 30-3 vote, and the State House of Representatives with a unanimous vote.
“This bill is a solution in search of a problem that creates a long, detailed structure for the evaluation of the freedom of expression on college campuses,” said Edwards in a statement regarding his decision. “However, this bill is unnecessary and overly burdensome to our colleges and universities as the freedoms this bill attempts to protect are already well-established by the bedrock principles” in both the state and national constitution.
The bill would have ensured that universities afforded “any person lawfully present on a campus” the right to political speech, so long as it was not disruptive. HB 269 also mandated a disciplinary hearing and allowed for potential punishment for those who impeded free speech.
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Comments
Any chance of an override?
It would seem that the votes are there in both House and Senate, but will the LA politicians again vote the way they did the first time? That is always a question with Veto override votes. With 14 Democrats in the Senate, and three Nay votes, obviously some voted for the bill or failed to vote. They make up 36% of the Senate, so if the Democrats vote Party Unity, there will be no override on the Senate vote alone.
Yes, free speech is a problem to the democrat party!
If I’m a conservative speaker, I am immediately seeking to book a speech at a public school in Louisiana. The governor will have no choice but to uphold the law if things get testy with the riff raff.
You are operating under the misconception that Edwards totally believes in the rule of law. He had a sterling example of that in Edwin Edwards, his father, – right?