IDP Statement on House Committee Passage of SB 202

On Tuesday, the House Education Committee passed Senate Bill 202 to the full chamber, which faculty at Indiana’s world-renowned institutions warn threatens academic freedom, will damage their ability to retain and recruit talent, and hurts our state’s ability to compete in the industries and technologies of the future. In response, the Indiana Democratic Party released the following statement from Chair Mike Schmuhl:

“Hoosier Democrats are listening to the faculty, students, alumni, and administrations of Indiana’s universities who are nearly universally-opposed to this attempt by the supermajority to control speech on campus. Indiana is currently sending fewer high school graduates to higher education than Mississippi. This bill could make those rates even worse by pushing Hoosier students out-of-state for education, and making award-winning faculty leave or reconsider moving to Indiana. Why would talent choose to move to a state where their job could be in jeopardy because of tenure policies that differ from national standards? Instead of passing policy that would reduce the cost of college, and help more working families send their kids to college, the Republican supermajority wants to starve IU and Purdue of state funding, and this is just another step in their agenda of power over people.”