GA SB318

Designated the "Forming Open and Robust University Minds (FORUM) Act," the bill declares all unrestricted outdoor areas of University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia campuses as public forums for the campus community and prohibits institutions from creating "free speech zones" that confine expressive activity to specific areas.

Allows institutions to impose only reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions that are content- and viewpoint-neutral, narrowly tailored to a significant institutional interest, and that preserve the right of campus community members to spontaneously assemble and distribute literature.

Prohibits institutions from denying benefits, privileges, or official recognition to student organizations based on their religious, political, or ideological positions, including organizations that require members to affirm the group's beliefs or comply with its standards of conduct.

Establishes a private right of action for aggrieved persons or student organizations, with remedies including injunctive relief, monetary damages, reasonable attorneys' fees, and a minimum court award of $5,000 per violation, subject to a one-year statute of limitations that resets each day a violation persists.

Requires both the Board of Regents and the State Board of the Technical College System to publish annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly on barriers to free expression, institutional neutrality efforts, and administrative responses to policy violations, with an effective date of July 1, 2020.