53H-6-302. Public policy events at state institutions of higher education.
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Effective 7/1/2026
53H-6-302. Public policy events at state institutions of higher education.
(1)As used in this section:
(a)"Debate" means an event at which two or more presenters advocate for opposing or diverse approaches to a public policy issue and rebut each other's positions.
(b)"Formal administrative unit" means:
(i)an office or division under the direct supervision of the president or president's cabinet; or
(ii)an academic department, college, institute, or center within an institution.
(c)"Presenter" means an individual whom an institution invites or authorizes to present at or facilitate a public policy event.
(d)"Public policy event" means a debate or event with multiple presenters that:
(i)addresses, from multiple, divergent, and opposing perspectives, a range of public policy issues;
(ii)an institution designates under Subsection (2)(a) ; and
(iii)a formal administrative unit organizes or authorizes under this section.
(2)A degree-granting institution shall:
(a)establish practices that will introduce campus communities to diverse viewpoints, including designating public policy events to host during each regular academic year;
(i)ensure that at least some public policy events are debates;
(ii)invite presenters from within and outside the institution;
(iii)ensure that public policy events are open to:
(A)all students, faculty, and staff of the institution; and
(B)the general public, unless the institution restricts individuals who are not affiliated with the institution to achieve a compelling governmental interest; and
(iv)seek presenters who represent differing views; and
(c)maintain and update a publicly accessible and searchable calendar online:
(i)that lists all public policy events that are open to the general public; and
(ii)that includes, for each public policy event:
(A)the title of the event;
(B)the name and, where applicable, institutional affiliation of each presenter; and
(C)the name of the formal administrative unit that organizes and stages the event.
(a)Nothing in Subsection
(2)requires an exact balance between presenters of differing viewpoints.
(b)Nothing in this section prohibits an institution from inviting an individual speaker or a panel who articulates a singular or specific perspective, as described in Subsection 53H-1-504(3)(a)(iv) .
Enacted by Chapter 438 , 2026 General Session