American Association of University Professors
SB 83 Hearing Next Week
Next Wednesday, November 29 at 9:30 am in Room 017 of the Ohio Statehouse, the Ohio House Higher Education Committee will be holding a second hearing on Substitute Senate Bill 83. According to the committee notice, the bill is not slated for a vote at this time.
The committee will hear a total of one hour and 15 minutes of opponent testimony, as well as one hour and 15 minutes of proponent testimony. Oral testimony will be limited to five minutes. We highly encourage members to submit testimony and to show up if you can be there. We must continue to convey that there is widespread opposition to this latest version of SB 83.
Here are links to help with testimony preparation:
Full Bill Text of SB 83 -11
Comparison Document (changes between Senate-passed and -11 versions)
Committee Notice for November 29 Hearing
Witness Slip (must accompany your testimony submission)
Testimony and witness slip must be submitted to OHRHigherEducationCommittee@ohiohouse.gov at least 24 hours in advance of the hearing, so no later than Tuesday, November 28 at 9:30 am.
According to the committee notice, if you already submitted testimony for the cancelled hearing last week, you do not have to resubmit your testimony. However, we strongly recommend that anyone planning to testify in person resubmits their testimony with an updated witness slip indicating that they will be present at the hearing. This will help avoid confusion.
If you are able to testify in person, please email OCAAUP Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick at sara@ocaaup.org so that she knows who will be there. Due to the imposed time constraints, we do not know how many people will be able to address the committee, but we will do our best to help facilitate in-person witnesses so that as many people as possible have the opportunity to speak. You can also email Sara with any questions.
Call Key Republicans This Week and Next Week
In addition to testimony submissions, please call Speaker Stephens and the Republican members of the House Higher Education Committee to ask them to stop the bill. The starred (*) representatives are the most important to contact, but calling the full list is especially helpful.
Here is a sample script: “Hello, I am calling to ask Representative [last name] to oppose Senate Bill 83. SB 83 is an attack on academic freedom and collective bargaining and will undermine quality higher education for Ohio’s students. It will hurt Ohio’s ability to compete economically. The bill must be stopped.” Keep your comments short and courteous.
*Speaker Jason Stephens: (614) 466-1366
*Chair Tom Young: (614) 466-6504
*Rep. Gayle Manning: (614) 644-5076
*Rep. Gail Pavliga: (614) 466-2004
*Rep. Justin Pizzulli: (614) 466-2124
Rep. Adam Bird: (614) 644-6034
Rep. Bill Dean: (614) 466-1470
Rep. Derek Merrin: (614) 466-1731
Rep. Nick Santucci: (614) 466-5441
Rep. Josh Williams: (614) 466-1418
Rep. Bernard Willis: (614) 466-2038
We also want to start calls into Gov. DeWine’s office should the bill manage to advance in the waning days of this calendar year. The script for Gov. DeWine should be something along the lines of: “Hello, I want to make sure that Gov. DeWine is aware of Senate Bill 83, which threatens quality higher education and Ohio’s economic competitiveness. Should this bill reach his desk, I sincerely hope that the governor will exercise his veto power.”
Gov. Mike DeWine: (614) 644-4357
We appreciate the ongoing activism, and we can’t let up now! Please be at the Statehouse next Wednesday, if you can. Let’s pack the hearing room. Please consider submitting testimony, even if written only, and make some calls from the comfort of your home. We must continue to send the message that SB 83 is bad for students, bad for higher education, and bad for Ohio!