Tuesday’s Opponent Hearing
Once again, we broke an Ohio Senate record with the number of opponent testimonies that were submitted for Senate Bill 1! There were 837 opponent testimonies posted on the Senate Higher Education Committee website. These testimonies came from professors, students, parents, and other members of our communities who understand the damage that this bill will inflict.
If you submitted testimony, please ensure that the committee did, in fact, post it on their website. If you do not see yours posted, email Sen. Roegner’s office at roegner@ohiosenate.gov and ask that they post your testimony. It is a matter of public record, and we have already heard from a number of people that their testimonies were submitted on time but not posted.
Thank you to Prof. David Jackson from BGSU for giving our testimony. Understanding the political realities, we advocated that the committee adopt very specific amendments that would ameliorate some of the worst parts of the bill. We made it clear that the union-busting provisions and other attacks on professors are unacceptable, and that these changes to higher education will lead to vast instability.
At the beginning of the committee meeting, a substitute version of the bill was adopted. Most of the changes were low-level adjustments that do not get to the heart of the biggest issues with the bill. Perhaps the most significant change was an amendment that specified that public syllabi do not have to include locations or times of classes. While this is a step in the right direction, it certainly does not fully assuage the concern of how public syllabi could facilitate the intimidation and harassment of faculty, as well as stolen intellectual property.
Wednesday’s Committee and Floor Votes
In spite of the fact that there were 837+ opponent testimonies, hundreds of people who showed up to the Statehouse to protest, as well as tens of thousands of emails sent in opposition, the majority of senators completely ignored The People. At this point, we must be blunt: the hearing on Tuesday was held in bad faith. They “heard” the testimony, but they did not “listen.” They had the theatrics of democracy, but they never intended to make any changes to their politically-motivated legislation.
During the Wednesday Senate Higher Education Committee meeting, Democratic Senators Catherine Ingram and Casey Weinstein offered a series of amendments that mirrored our suggestions. Sen. Cirino, SB 1’s sponsor, initiated the motions to table each and every one of the amendments, and each was tabled along a party line vote of 5-2. This is particularly disappointing, given that we had met with Sen. Cirino two weeks prior, who indicated he was open to amendments. Clearly, that was not true, as the senator failed to correspond with us about the amendments and then led the effort to defeat them.
Eventually, SB 1 cleared the committee along the 5-2 party lines, and was sent to the Senate floor for a full vote by the chamber. After a series of lengthy and impassioned speeches (including ones that disparaged students and faculty), as well as additional unsuccessful attempts to amend the bill, SB 1 passed the Senate by a vote of 21-11. All 9 Democrats, plus Republican Senators Blessing and Patton, voted against the bill. One Republican senator was absent.
While the end result is unsurprising, it is still incredibly disappointing to see such a disingenuous and undemocratic process lead to this point. The reality is that the Republican majority knows that this is indeed The Higher Education Destruction Act. While they may say things like “reform” and “more free speech,” their true intent is to undermine public higher education. It’s part of the age-old playbook: defund, blame workers, then privatize. This isn’t just about “our issues.” This is about defending and preserving public higher education.
What happens next
The bill has now been sent to the Ohio House of Representatives. It will be referred to the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee, which is chaired by the same state representative as the previous legislative session: Rep. Tom Young. Reportedly, Young already has said he will not entertain amendments to the bill. His office still has not responded to our request for a meeting.
It is unclear when exactly the House committee will start hearings on SB 1. Because state budget deliberations have begun in the House, and this committee is serving as the budget subcommittee on higher education, the committee may defer taking up SB 1 until March. Whenever the hearings do start, we expect it to be another fast process.
We are working closely with the Ranking Democrat on the committee: Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio. We are fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and thoughtful state representative to work with on these matters. Rep. Piccolantonio thoroughly understands the issues and is passionate about defending labor rights.
We are working on SB 1 day and night. We are doing everything in our power to engage lawmakers, keep members informed, talk to the media, and work with our valuable coalition partners in labor and education to either stop this bill or mitigate the worst aspects. We will continue to update you as the process unfolds, and as we have more information about other legislation that will impact our members. Stay tuned.
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Other ways to take action.
There are a number of other ways that you can help us fight the legislation:
Our easy online form above has been updated to reflect where we are now in the legislative process, and messages will be sent to House members only. We are asking state representatives to reject the bill or at least work with stakeholder groups on changes. Over 55,000 emails have been sent already. Let’s keep up the pressure!
Due to the fast-track nature of the bill, we have to put pressure on the governor now to veto the bill. This link also has been updated to reflect the current situation. Gov. DeWine has been less inclined than other Republicans to buy into culture war politics, and we believe he understands the importance of a higher education system that maintains integrity.
3) Talk to your state representative.
Regardless of party affiliation, now is the time to reach out to your state representative. They need to hear from their constituents that SB 1 will harm higher education and its economic impact on Ohio. Visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/ to find your legislators.
4) Write an op-ed.
Consider writing an op-ed to your local newspaper about the ways that this bill will hurt your institutions. You can also point out that the legislators who are pushing this bill once again have failed to listen to the overwhelming opposition from stakeholder groups and the broader public.
The Columbus Dispatch published this op-ed from the president of our Ohio State chapter.
5) Donate to our new “Advocacy & Defense Fund.”
THANK YOU to our generous members who already have made critical donations! OCAAUP is a small organization with one staff member that has kept dues as low as possible for our chapters and members. The challenges we face are going to require more resources, and 100% of the money donated to this fund will be used to fight political attacks and/or future legal challenges. ANY amount is welcome and appreciated. Please note: the Ohio Conference AAUP is a 501(c)(6) organization; as a result, donations are not tax deductible.