TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida may require its 12 public universities to do a survey on the "intellectual freedom" and "viewpoint diversity" that is allowed on campuses.
A panel in the Florida House on Wednesday attached the requirement to a sweeping higher education bill that also includes a boost in the amount of financial aid provided to top-performing students.
House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues, a Fort Myers Republican, said legislators want to make sure students are "safe and secure" in expressing their individual viewpoints.
The move comes a few months after white nationalist Richard Spencer spoke at the University of Florida.
If passed the legislation (HB 423) would require each university to ask students, faculty and administrators to "assesses the extent to which competing ideas, perspectives, and claims of truth are presented."
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