Representative Williams Votes in Support of Senate Bill 1

COLUMBUS –Representative Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) voted Wednesday in support of Senate Bill 1 – legislation that works to bring a “Students First” agenda to Ohio public universities.

Senate Bill 1 works to reform higher education by aligning with Ohio’s workforce needs, eliminating DEI programs, trainings, and orientations, and promoting institutional stability, accountability, and transparency. 

“Ohio Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) is a crucial step in ensuring that college campuses remain spaces for open debate, intellectual diversity, and fairness. Students should feel free to ask questions, challenge ideas, and express their perspectives without fear of retaliation. This bill safeguards free speech rights, preventing professors from penalizing students for holding opposing views. It ensures that classrooms remain places for genuine discussion, where all topics can be explored as long as multiple viewpoints are allowed,” said Representative Williams. “Equally important, SB 1 reinforces the principle that every student must be treated as an individual. It prohibits preferential treatment or penalties based on group membership, requiring universities to uphold equal standards for all—regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or sex. This bill is about creating a truly fair and open academic environment, where students are judged by their ideas and efforts, not by their identity or beliefs.”

This legislation would make the following changes at the state’s institutions of higher education:

• DEI Elimination: Eliminates institutional discrimination and indoctrination by removing DEI programs, trainings, and orientations.
• Protect Freedom of Speech and Promote Equality: Ensures that Ohioans’ opinions are safe from being silenced or marginalized and may receive due discussion, protecting all students and faculty, and encourages an environment that welcomes diverse perspectives at Ohio higher education institutions.
• Ensure Uninterrupted Education: Prevents situations where students cannot graduate or otherwise progress with their studies by prohibiting faculty strikes or walkouts.
• Ensure High Quality Education: Requires institutions to evaluate tenured faculty who are not meeting performance expectations, ensuring continued high-quality education and rigor after a faculty member is granted tenure status.
• Ensure Workforce Relevance: Ensures that institutions of higher education remain relevant and connected to Ohio’s workforce needs by sunsetting programs that average fewer than five degrees over a three-year period.
• Prioritize Civics and Capitalism Education: Ensures Ohio students have a foundational understanding of American Civics and capitalism.
• Enforce Foreign Influence Restrictions: Safeguards Ohio’s institutions from interference and influence by the People’s Republic of China.

The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for a concurrence vote.