Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill this week that would give the state more control over what happens at the state’s public colleges and universities.

This bill would ban colleges’ diversity, equity and inclusion work, make a three-credit course on civics mandatory for students to graduate, and prohibit faculty members from striking. Critics say it’s an attempt to force institutions to embrace more conservative voices. 

“Ohio is going to be at the top of the heap in higher education reform,” State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland and the bill’s sponsor, said at a press conference Wednesday. 

The new 75-page bill, which you can read below, is largely based on legislation first introduced in 2023.

Though that bill didn’t make it to an Ohio House vote, its re-introduction as the first bill of the Ohio Senate’s legislative session suggests that it’s a top priority. The latest version put more rules on the schools. 

Senate Bill 1 draws quick pushback

Protestors, including current college students, lined the halls during Wednesday’s press conference. Statements soon followed. 

“This bill would suppress students’ freedom to learn about, research, and understand the topics they are interested in and this bill would drive up the cost of tuition by placing more bureaucratic unfunded mandates on colleges and universities,” Sara Kilpatrick, executive director of Ohio’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors union, said in a statement. 

Hearings could start as early as next week.

You can track the bill’s progress on the Ohio Legislature’s website. You can also learn more about how to follow a bill’s progress with this Signal Ohio explainer.