Dear Friend,
HB999 was filed late on Thursday and is the Governor’s priority higher education bill.
To put it bluntly, this is a very bad bill that includes a breathtaking control of viewpoint and content throughout all academic activity in the entire Florida system. All colleges and universities are forbidden to spend any money to fund pedagogy, programming, or activities that “espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
No core class can present American history contrary to a founding narrative “based on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.”
All state colleges and universities must remove Women’s & Gender Studies from the list of available majors and minors. No major or minor can exist if it is deemed to be “derivative” from the “belief system” of “Critical Race Theory.”
All faculty hiring will be done by the university board or president—who *may not delegate* any aspect of any hiring decision or any hiring authority to any group of faculty however constituted. They are “not required to consider recommendations or opinions of faculty.” The bill also attempts to go after tenure, by creating a “post-tenure review” process led by political appointees.
This is a dangerous bill that would strip Floridians of our academic freedom and push out the best and brightest students and faculty. Combine this with the larger attacks on LGBTQ+ students and the repeal of in-state tuition for Dreamers and it becomes clear what Governor DeSantis’ true agenda is.
Last week I walked out with college students against these proposals, and this morning I joined The Katie Phang Show to amplify our efforts alongside USF student Ben Braver.
HB999 has not been assigned committee hearings yet, so for now I encourage you to contact your State Representative here and ask that they oppose HB999. You can also contact all members of the Postsecondary Education & Workforce Subcommittee. I serve on this committee, and you can expect me to fight like hell to stop this bill.
Onward,
Rep. Anna V. Eskamani