Take action to oppose SB83: Contact House Republicans and the Governor

According to reports from the Columbus Dispatch and Ohio Conference of AAUP, the provisions of Senate Bill 83 are likely to be incorporated into the Ohio Senate’s version of the state operating budget bill, which could be voted on this week.

Senate Bill 83 (SB83) would ban most mandatory diversity training, ban faculty and other higher education employees from striking during contract negotiations, evaluate professors on whether they create “classrooms free from bias.”

In addition, SB 83 would impose numerous other requirements and limitations on Ohio public colleges and universities, driving up costs for students.

For more about the provisions of SB83, visit https://www.honestyforohioeducation.org/sb-83.html.

The Ohio Senate approved a revised version of SB83 despite widespread opposition, including statements from Ohio State’s Board of Trustees and from the Inter-University Council of Ohio, which represents the presidents of Ohio’s 14 public four-year institutions.

Also, a large coalition of labor unions sent a letter to the Ohio House of Representatives stating that “all of labor is watching and will not tolerate anti-union legislation.”

The Ohio Conference of AAUP reported that the Ohio House seems less likely to approve their own version of SB83, and that the language of the bill probably will be dealt with when representatives of the House and Senate meet to resolve differences in their versions of the state budget bill

The Ohio Conference of AAUP asks all faculty members and others who oppose the provisions of Senate Bill  you to take the time to make calls and send personalized emails to House Republican members and Governor Mike DeWine.

• Click here for a spreadsheet of targets and contact information.
• For the Representatives, use both email addresses.
• Use your personal email address for these communications.
• Remember to keep your communications concise and courteous. Phone calls likely will be answered by an aide or go to voicemail. Personalize your message with how the bill would negatively affect your teaching, students, and institution.

Here is a sample script for calls and emails to State Representatives:

I am calling/writing today to urge Representative [last name] to oppose Senate Bill 83. This is a dangerous bill that not only attacks union rights for campus employees, but also attempts to micromanage classroom instructions and college and university operations. The bill will drive up costs for students and deter quality faculty and students from choosing Ohio institutions. SB 83 isn’t salvageable. Please also reject any attempts to put the contents of SB 83 into the state operating budget.

Here is a sample script for calls and emails to Gov. DeWine:

I want to make sure that Gov. DeWine is aware of Senate Bill 83, legislation that threatens quality higher education and workforce development in Ohio. Should this bill reach his desk, I sincerely hope that the governor will exercise his veto power. Should any of the components of SB 83 make it into the state operating budget, I hope that Gov. DeWine will exercise his line-item veto authority.