[Peace-discuss] Peter N. Kirstein: Defeat Reactionary Ill. Law to Censor Human Rights Advocacy

Tue Mar 4 18:24:18 UTC 2014

http://english.sxu.edu/sites/kirstein/archives/11800

Defeat Reactionary Ill. Law to Censor Human Rights Advocacy
Posted on March 4, 2014<http://english.sxu.edu/sites/kirstein/archives/11800>
 by Peter Kirstein<http://english.sxu.edu/sites/kirstein/archives/author/administrator>
*From:*  <asastaff at theasa.net>
*Sent:* Tuesday, March 04, 2014 9:35 AM
*To:* ASA Staff
*Subject:* ACTION ALERT- Immediate Action Needed: Stop Passage of Bill in
IL State Legislature to Defund Public Universities because of Faculty
Political Speech

*ACTION ALERT*

*Immediate Action Needed: Stop Passage of Bill in IL State Legislature to
Defund Public Universities because of Faculty Political Speech*

IL State Senator Ira Silverstein has introduced a bill - [/owa/]SB 3017 -(
http://legiscan.com/IL/text/SB3017/2013) that would prohibit public
universities and colleges from using any state funds on groups that have
made statements in support of, or that participate in boycotts of Israeli
academic institutions.  Universities that do so would lose all of their
state funding for that year. For instance, state aid could not be used for
travel, lodging or membership dues for a faculty member attending the
conference of an academic association that made a statement in support of a
boycott of Israel. This law will lay the groundwork for other attempts to
silence debate and opposition on other controversial issues.

Legislation similar to this has been introduced in New York and Maryland
and in the U.S.
Congress<http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/campaigns/academic-freedom>,
and in some states non-binding resolutions have also been brought to the
legislative bodies. These are all part of an effort to target and punish
the American Studies Association (ASA) because it recently passed a
resolution endorsing an academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Wherever these bills are being introduced, they are being met with active
campaigns *challenging the constitutionality* of the legislation.
Things in the IL legislature are moving quickly. *T**he Higher Education
Committee of the State Senate will hold a hearing on this bill as
early as* *TODAY,
Tuesday March 4, 2014**. *Even though time is short, we need to make sure
the members of that committee hear from as many people as possible.

*Now is the time for action! This assault on free speech and academic
freedom must be stopped today! *

*WHAT CAN YOU DO?:*
*1) Contact your State Senators that are members of the Higher Education
Committee.*
See a list of Committee members' contact information and Talking Points
below.

   - If you don't know your State Senator, click here and type in your
   address <http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/addressfinder.aspx> to
   find out.

*2)  **If your State Senator is not in the Higher Education
Committee,* *contact,
in this order:*
·         *FIRST:  State Senate President, John Cullerton (D).* *CALL* *(217)
782-2728*.
·         *SECOND: Chairman of the Higher Education Committee, Senator
Michael W. Frerichs (D).* *CALL* *(217)* *782-2507**.*

*3) Help spread the word.*
·  Share this message as widely and as quickly as you can!
·  Try to get this information to people throughout the state...it important
that this be a state-wide effort.
·  Send a letter to the editor in your local paper to express your
opposition to this legislation.

*TELL STATE SENATORS:*
I am calling to oppose the Higher Education Committee Amendment 1 to Senate
Bill 3017.

*This amendment proposes that the legislature defund an Illinois state
university which provides funds for membership, travel or lodging for any
employee to attend activities of an academic entity which has issued a
public resolution or statement supporting boycotting a country which is a
member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
or higher education institutions in that country.*

   - This bill is unconstitutional because the Supreme Court has ruled that
   boycotts are protected First Amendment activities.
   - The State cannot deny funding to universities because certain
   legislators don't like the views that faculty and staff are expressing
   through protected First Amendment activities like boycotts.
   - Legislative intrusion in academic decision-making undermines
   academics' abilities to associate and exchange views with their colleagues.
   - It is fiscally irresponsible and unconstitutional to condition
   funding for the Illinois university system on the university's censorship
   of academic associations' political viewpoints.

*MEMBERS OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE AND THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION:*
*Illinois Senate Higher Education Committee:*
*http://www.ilga.gov/senate/committees/members.asp?CommitteeID=1219*<http://www.ilga.gov/senate/committees/members.asp?CommitteeID=1219>
*Chair: Senator Michael W. Frerichs (D)* 52nd District  *(**note: former
teacher)*
CALL Springfield Office (217) 782-2507
District Office: 45 E. University Avenue, Suite 206 Champaign, IL  61820
*Vice Chair:* *Senator Pat McGuire (D)* 43rd District *(**note: former
teacher and school board member)*
CALL Springfield Office (217) 782-8800
District Office: 2200 Weber Road Crest Hill, IL  60403
*Senator Daniel Biss* (*D)* 9th District  *(note: lives in Evanston -
former U of C math professor)*
CALL Springfield Office (217) 782-2119
District Office: 3706 Dempster Street Skokie, IL  60076
*Senator Melinda Bush* (D) 31st District
CALL Springfield Office (217) 782-7353
District Office: 10 North Lake Street, Suite 112, Grayslake, IL  60030
*Senator Dan Kotowski* (D) 28th District
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-3875
District Office: 350 S. Northwest Highway, Suite 300 Park Ridge, IL  60068
*Senator Kimberly A. Lightford* (D) 4th District
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-8505
District Office:  10001 West Roosevelt Rd Suite 202 Westchester, IL  60154
*Senator Andy Manar* (D) 48th District
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-0228
District Office 103 West Main Street P.O. Box 33 Staunton, IL  62088
*Senator John M. Sullivan (D)* 47th District
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-2479
District Office 926 Broadway, Suite 6 Quincy, IL  62301
*Senator Chapin Rose (R)* 51st District
CALL Springfield Office: (217) 558-1006
District Office 510 S. Staley Road, Suite D Champaign, IL  61822
*Senator David S. Luechtefeld (R*) 58th District *(**note: former teacher)*
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-8137
District Office 700 North Front Street Okawville, IL  62271
*Senator Wm. Sam McCann* (R) 50th District
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-8206
District Office: 221 Dunlap Court Jacksonville, IL  62650
*Senator Kyle McCarter* (R) 54th District
CALL Springfield Office:  (217) 782-5755
District Office: 310 W. Gallatin Vandalia, IL  62471
-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
(202) 448-2898, extension 1
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