On June 22, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three bills into law. The three bills—House Bill 5, House Bill 233, and Senate Bill 1108—target how civics education and debate topics will be discussed in K-12 and in the state’s colleges and universities. The bill receiving the most attention is House Bill 233 (pdf). While advocates insist the new law will ensure “viewpoint diversity” and “intellectual freedom” at Florida colleges and universities, critics say “it sounds like fascism” because it requires “Florida students and professors to register political views with the state.”
“HB 233 requires state colleges and universities to conduct an annual assessment of viewpoint diversity and intellectual freedom at their universities,” Jason Mahon, Deputy Communications Director for the Executive Office of Governor Ron DeSantis told The Epoch Times. “This is required because freedom of speech is an essential building block of our freedom as Americans and our higher education institutions must champion it, rather than chip away at it.”
