Okla. will require college students to take free speech training, bars discrimination against religious groups

Oklahoma has passed a law barring its public colleges and universities from discriminating against student organizations based on their viewpoints and will also require students to take a free speech training during their first year of enrollment.

Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 1725 into law last month after the Republican-controlled Oklahoma Senate approved it in a 40-7 vote and the Republican-controlled Oklahoma House of Representatives passed it in a 78-15 vote.

In both chambers, one Democrat joined Republicans in supporting the bill, while all opposition came from Democrats. The law is scheduled to take effect on July 1.

The legislation states that while “a public institution of higher education may charge a security fee to a student or student organization as part of an application for expressive activities that require a permit,” the fee “shall not be based on the content of the expressive activities, the content of the expression of an invited guest, or the anticipated reaction to the expressive activities of a student or student organization or the expression of an invited guest.”

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