House Bill 684 Summary

• Creates the "Protecting Campus Free Speech in Higher Education Act" requiring public institutions of higher education to protect First Amendment rights and free speech activities on campus.

• Designates publicly accessible outdoor areas of campuses as public forums where students may engage in noncommercial expressive activities without designated "free speech zones," subject only to content-neutral and viewpoint-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions.

• Prohibits charging security fees to students or student organizations based on the content of expression or anticipated reactions to guest speakers.

• Allows students and student organizations to bring civil actions against public institutions for violations, with potential remedies including injunctive relief, compensatory damages, court costs, and attorney's fees.

• Requires all public institutions of higher education to report their free speech policies to the governor and legislature by December 1, 2022, and to make these policies publicly available on websites and in orientation programs.

• Establishes a one-year statute of limitations for lawsuits, with each day a violation persists counting as a new accrual date, and eliminates governmental immunity for violations of the chapter.