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Committee discussion exposes deep divisions over bill to expand public employees' off-duty speech rights; sponsor pulls measure for revision
Summary
Lawyers and university officials warned that proposed legislation expanding public employees' off-duty speech protections would upend established First Amendment doctrine and risk litigation; after extensive hearing the sponsor said the bill would be pulled for further work.
A large, contested hearing focused on a bill (SB 236) that would codify and broaden protections for public employees’ off-duty speech.
Professor Robert Steinbeck, presenting the legal rationale, said the bill would clarify that government employees do not lose First Amendment rights simply because they are employed. “If you're off, then you…
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