CT HB06770

Requires the Board of Regents for Higher Education and the Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut to adopt policies protecting academic freedom by October 1, 2023, including protections for course and degree program content.

Protects faculty members from adverse personnel actions (including promotion/tenure denial, compensation changes, or termination) resulting from public or private expression related to their scholarship, teaching, or matters of public concern such as politics, social issues, or institutional policy criticism.

Establishes exceptions allowing adverse personnel actions when expression is disruptive to institutional academic purposes, constitutes plagiarism or research fraud, substantially interferes with job performance, or deliberately misrepresents academic expertise.

Requires academic freedom policies to include a process for faculty to challenge adverse personnel actions and objective criteria to determine whether such actions violate academic freedom rights.

Allows faculty members who believe their academic freedom was violated to pursue the institutional challenge process or seek damages under section 31-51q of the general statutes, with both boards required to report on their policies by January 1, 2024.