Va. lawmakers pass campus free speech bill
WASHINGTON — At the University of California at Berkeley last week, demonstrators rioted and blacked the appearance of controversial celebrity Milo Yiannopoulous. A bill proposed in Virginia would make it difficult to bar him from being heard in campuses in the commonwealth.
Lawmakers in Richmond were making movies to bolster campus free speech. The house of delegates passed a bill, HB 1401, that would make it the policy of the state to support campus free speech.
“Any time we have the chance to support the First Amendment we should do that,” said House Democratic Leader David Toscano.
Toscano represents Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia.
“It’s a good idea to celebrate the First Amendment. We want our campuses to be noisy, we want people to debate things,” Toscano said.
The bill must still face a vote in the state senate.
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