The US Protest Law Tracker follows state and federal legislation introduced since January 2017 that restricts the right to peaceful assembly. For more information, visit our Analysis of US Anti-Protest Bills page.
Latest updates: Feb. 7, 2025 (Ohio), Feb. 5, 2025 (Idaho), Jan. 30, 2025 (Alaska, Missouri)
8 entries matching in provided filters in 8 states. Clear all filters
Georgia
SB 339: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
**SB 339 was signed into law following amendments that removed the most restrictive provisions.** As originally introduced, Senate Bill 339 would have created mandatory disciplinary sanctions that could be applied to peaceful protesters on college and university campuses. The introduced bill required public universities and community colleges to adopt a policy prohibiting and subjecting to sanction individuals involved in "protests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity" on campus. Additionally, the introduced bill required administrators to suspend for at least one year or expel any student who was twice "found responsible for infringing on the expressive rights of others," such as through a protest of a campus speaker. Amendments to the bill removed the provisions related to specific sanctions, prior to the bill's passage by the Senate. (See full text of bill here)
Status: enacted with improvements
Introduced 19 Jan 2018; Governor Deal signed it 8 May 2018
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Illinois
HB 2939: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
Would create mandatory disciplinary sanctions that could be applied to peaceful protesters on college and university campuses. The bill requires public universities and community colleges to adopt a policy prohibiting and subjecting to sanction any "protests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity" on campus. Additionally, the bill requires administrators to suspend for at least one year or expel any student who is twice "found responsible for infringing on the expressive rights of others," such as through a protest of a campus speaker. (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 9 Feb 2017.
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Louisiana
HB 269: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
Would have created mandatory disciplinary sanctions that could be applied to peaceful protesters on college and university campuses. The bill prohibits "protests and demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity" on college campuses. In addition, the bill requires public colleges to suspend for at least one year or expel any student found responsible for infringing the expressive rights of others, including by protesting. (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 30 Mar 2017; Vetoed by Governor Edwards 27 June 2017
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Michigan
SB 350: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
Would create mandatory disciplinary sanctions that could be applied to peaceful protesters on college and university campuses. The bill requires community and public colleges to prohibit and subject to sanction any "protests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity" on campus. The bill requires that college administrators suspend for at least one year or expel any student who is twice "found responsible for infringing on the expressive rights of others," for instance through a protest or demonstration. (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 2 May 2017.
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Missouri
HB 2423: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
Would expand the state's 2015 "Campus Free Expression Act," which banned so-called campus "free speech zones," to include provisions requiring universities to impose specific, mandatory penalties on certain campus protesters. The bill provides that any student who is twice found responsible for "infringing upon the expressive rights of others" should be suspended for at least one year or expelled. The bill also calls for a "range of disciplinary sanctions" to be imposed on anyone under the university's jurisdiction who "materially and substantially interferes with the free expression of others." (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 8 Feb 2018.
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Oregon
SB 540: Mandatory expulsion for college students convicted of rioting
Would require that public universities and community colleges expel a student who is convicted of participating in a riot. The bill expired with the end of the 2017 legislative session. (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 9 Jan 2017.
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Riot
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Wisconsin
AB 299: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
Would impose mandatory disciplinary measures on student protesters in certain cases. The bill requires that students who engage in "violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, obscene, unreasonably loud, or other disorderly conduct that interferes with the free expression of others" on Wisconsin college or university campuses be compelled to attend a mandatory disciplinary hearing. The bill also requires campus authorities to suspend for a minimum of one semester or expel a student who interferes more than once with another's free speech, for instance by protesting a controversial campus speaker. (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 5 May 2017; Approved by Assembly 21 June 2017
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Wyoming
HB 0137: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
Would create mandatory disciplinary sanctions that could be applied to peaceful protesters on college campuses. The bill requires the University of Wyoming and community colleges to adopt a "free speech protection policy" that includes the mandatory suspension for at least one year or expulsion of any student who is twice found responsible for "infringing upon the expressive rights of others." The bill also calls for a "range of disciplinary sanctions" to be imposed on anyone under the university's jurisdiction who "materially and substantially interferes with the free expression of others." (See full text of bill here)
Status: defeated / expired
Introduced 12 Feb 2018; Failed in House 16 Feb
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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