HB3052 - Campus Free Speech Protection Act

• Requires all Illinois public institutions of higher education to adopt free speech policies by January 1, 2022, protecting students' and faculty members' constitutional rights to freedom of expression.

• Mandates policies ensure broad latitude for speech, maintain a marketplace of ideas without suppressing viewpoints based on offensiveness, and prohibit substantial obstruction of others' expressive activity.

• Establishes specific protections including viewpoint-neutral student speaker selection, equal access for religious and political student organizations, no content-based fees for speech events, and guest speaker invitation rights.

• Designates general outdoor campus areas as traditional public forums for expression rather than restricting speech to designated "free speech zones," with time, place, and manner restrictions allowed only if reasonable, content-neutral, narrowly tailored, and providing alternative communication options.

• Creates private cause of action allowing aggrieved persons to sue institutions or faculty for damages between $1,000 and $100,000, plus attorney's fees, with claims filed within one year of when the violation ceases or is cured.