Senate passes higher education bill, Governor DeWine expected to sign

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Ohio Senate on Wednesday voted 20-11 in support of the controversial Senate Bill 1.

It now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk for him to sign in to law. The governor has said he plans to sign the bill after reviewing the final changes made to it.

The bill, which received 58 affirmative votes against 34 no votes in the House last week, aims to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at public colleges and universities. It also seeks to prevent faculty from striking and to simplify the process of firing poorly-performing tenured professors.

The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus earlier Wednesday had urged DeWine to veto the bill.

OLBC members, Democratic Caucus members and other Ohioans discussed the "need for executive action to safeguard Ohio's education institutions and workforce," the group said in a statement.

"It is toxic," Rep. Desiree Tims, D-Dayton, said of SB1 on Wednesday. "It is a threat to free speech, it is a threat to academic freedom, it is a threat to our First Amendment rights, it is racist, and since when is diversity, equality and inclusion a bad thing?"

Many of the other opponents of the bill are students. Last week, after the bill passed the Ohio House, thousands of students and community members marched from Ohio State's campus to the state house in protest of SB1. Some of those students have said they believe the bill would hurt higher education in Ohio.

DeWine spoke at the Columbus Metropolitan Club on Wednesday where he was asked what would happen if he signs the bill and then it becomes clear that it is hurting higher education statewide.

He gave a hypothetical, "It wouldn’t be the first time something gets passed and everyone looks at it six months, or a year later and says, hey that is not what we intended, or, it did not turn out the way we wanted it to," DeWine said. "I think with any bill, you are always open, and I think as a state, we should always be open to examining everything."