Thank you for your support of HB 2447, the campus free speech bill. The bill passed unanimously out of higher education committee and has been sent to the Calendars committee. But time is running out! The bill needs to be voted on soon! We cannot let this bill die in the Calendars committee.

Because most emails are deleted without being read, we suggest that you call or fax the members of the Calendars committee. If you do email, please CC a copy to markfleming@mail.utexas.edu and we'll FAX another copy of it for you!

If you call, here's a simple message you can say:

"Please support HB 2447, which will protect the free speech rights of students at public institutions of higher education. HB 2447 passed unanimously out of the higher education committee and has been reported to the Calendars committee. HB 2447 will prevent governing boards from making regulations of the time, place and manner of speech that are more restrictive than necessary to protect academic and institutional interests. This bill will codify into the Texas legal code a standard that will end so-called 'free speech zones' and protect equal access for all viewpoints. "

You can restate this message in your own words and add personal examples.

If you fax or email (remember to CC!), you can cut and paste this message. But please add your own examples and use your own words. For more examples of egregious abuses of student speech, check out "The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous" at www.studentaclu.org .

********I urge you to support HB 2447 (Chavez), which will protect the free speech rights of college students at public institutions. HB 2447 will prevent governing boards from making regulations of the time, place and manner of speech that are more restrictive than necessary to protect academic and institutional interests. This bill will codify into the Texas legal code a standard that will end so-called "free speech zones" and protect equal access for all viewpoints.

So-called "free speech zones" infringe on the free speech rights. Although universities must place reasonable regulations on the time, place and manner of speech, they cannot censor through over regulation or ban "expressive activities." At the University of Houston, a member of the Pro-Life Cougars was not allowed to silently carry a sign that read "Life is Beautiful; Choose Life" in Butler Plaza, a traditional hub of student activities and a previous location of pro-choice events. Because one important function of universities is to act as a marketplace of ideas, an entire campus should be a free speech zone with only a few reasonable restrictions.

I also believe that overly restrictive regulations can lead to viewpoint discrimination. Because ultimate discretion is left up to administrators, they will often deny access to unpopular points of view. At UT El Paso, student Ruben Reyes, an active student member of MEChA and the Campus Greens, submitted 24 requests for permits to host forums in the student union. Many of these forums were on issues sensitive to the university, including one to be called "Censorship on Texas Campuses." All 24 requests were denied. A university should be open to all points of view, even those that are unpopular or critical of the administration.

Again, I urge you to support HB 2447. The bill was unanimously voted out of the Higher Education committee and has been sent to the Calendars committee.

I look forward from hearing your thoughts on this matter. YOUR NAME and ADDRESS******

Rep. Beverly Woolley, Chair*
Phone: (512) 463-0696
Fax: (512) 463-9333

Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth, Vice Chair*
Phone: (512) 463-0538
Fax: (512) 463-6551

Rep. Wayne Christian
Phone: (512) 463-0556
Fax: (512) 463-5896

Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp
Phone: (512) 463-0684
Fax: (512) 463-8284

Rep. Vilma Luna
Phone: (512) 463-0484
Fax: (512) 463-8090

Rep. Jerry Madden
Phone: (512) 463-0544
Fax: (512) 463-9974

Rep. Jose Menendez
Phone: (512) 463-0634
Fax: (512) 463-7668

Rep. Gene Seaman
Phone: (512) 463-0672
Fax: (512) 463-3509

Rep. Barry Telford
Phone: (512) 463-0692
Fax: (512) 463-5896

Rep. Vicki Truitt
Phone: (512) 463-0690
Fax: (512) 477-5770

Rep. Sylvester Turner
Phone: (512) 463-0554
Fax: (512) 463-8380

*If you can only call or fax two members, these are the most important. Also, please contact Senator Florence Shapiro, chair of the Senate Education committee, and urge a hearing on SB 1332 (Barrientos), the Senate version of the Campus Free Speech bill.

Sen. Florence Shapiro
Florence.Shapiro@senate.state.tx.us
Phone: (512) 463-0108
Fax: (512) 463-7579

Thank you so much. Some members of the House Higher education committee reported getting over a hundred emails from students, whereas others reported getting nothing (remember, staff members will probably be reading your email). We can improve our effectiveness this time if we call or fax. We appreciate your continuing support for free speech rights.

Mark Fleming
Student for the ACLU
University of Texas at Austin

PS If you're interested in participating in the Student Free Speech lobby day, contact Collin Bost. (512) 206-0206 or cobost@mail.utexas.edu