{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-blackburn-colleagues-fight-for-free-speech-on-college-campuses", "Cotton, Blackburn, Colleagues Fight For Free Speech On College Campuses", "2021-10-20", "2021", "2021-10", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353\n\nOctober 20, 2021\n\nCotton, Blackburn, Colleagues Fight For Free Speech On College Campuses\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) launched the Senate Campus Free Speech Caucus to defend the rights of students on college campuses. This caucus is part of a larger bicameral effort alongside the Young America\u2019s Foundation (YAF) to protect free speech. Cotton and Blackburn were joined by Senators Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), and John Boozman (R-Arkansas).\n\nIn addition to the Senate Campus Free Speech Caucus, Senators Cotton and Blackburn introduced the Campus Free Speech Resolution of 2021 and Campus Free Speech Restoration Act.\n\nThe Campus Free Speech Resolution of 2021 urges greater First Amendment protection at public universities. Senators Cotton and Blackburn introduced this legislation alongside Senators Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).\n\nThe Campus Free Speech Restoration Act would protect the First Amendment rights of students at public universities from improperly restrictive speech-codes. Senators Cotton and Blackburn introduced this legislation along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Senators Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), and Mike Braun (R-Indiana).\n\n\u201cUniversities should encourage a variety of viewpoints\u2014but today, colleges and students often silence classmates and faculty who disagree with ideas like Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project. Senator Blackburn and I started The Campus Free Speech Caucus to return free speech to higher education across the country,\u201d said Cotton.\n\n\u201cFree speech is under attack on college campuses,\u201d said Blackburn. \u201cWe must fight to ensure that our students are not silenced because of their political views. That is why I am spearheading multiple efforts alongside Senator Cotton and our colleagues to champion essential freedoms for students in Tennessee and across the nation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe right to freedom of speech is our most fundamental right as Americans, and I\u2019m proud to join the Campus Free Speech Caucus to fight back against suppression of free speech on college campuses and ensure our students\u2019 First Amendment rights are not being trampled upon,\u201d said Braun.\n\n\u201cCollege campuses should be encouraging debate and for students to exchange political views\u2014not silencing and punishing those they disagree with. We must fight for this foundational right to free speech for our next generation, not give into the wokeness on college campuses,\u201d said Daines.\n\n\u201cFree speech is guaranteed in our Constitution. It should be revered on our college campuses. Sadly, this is where it\u2019s most at risk,\u201dYoung America\u2019s Foundation President Governor Scott Walker said. \u201cThe Campus Free Speech Caucus will help us fight back and ensure all voices can be heard on campus!\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nA 2020 Gallup-Knight Foundation study revealed that eighty-one percent of students support a campus environment where students are exposed to all types of speech, even if they may find it offensive.\n\nA 2019 poll conducted by Young America\u2019s Foundation revealed that of students stopped themselves from sharing their ideas in the classroom.\n\nRelated:\n\nSens. Cotton, Blackburn: Free speech is under fire on America's college campuses. Here's how we'll protect it", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:24:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-blackburn-colleagues-fight-for-free-speech-on-college-campuses"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7232041098177433, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}