No bill would be better in some ways. Tidwell attributed the bill's demise, in part, to supporters' taking its passage for granted. The bill sailed through the House and Senate in 1997, but then-Gov. Jim Edgar vetoed it. Supporters believed the bill would be just as successful in the legislature this year, and Gov. George Ryan had already promised to sign it into law.
Nothing is automatic anymore, that's for sure.
Tidwell said the bill will not be reintroduced until 2001 because the legislature will focus primarily on budget matters next year. After a bill designed to protect student expression died last fall, Michigan Rep. Lynne Martinez, D-Lansing, said she would reintroduce the legislation when the House convened in January. Martinez never introduced the bill, however, because she said she sponsored too many other bills, and House regulations prevented her from introducing another. But Martinez said she will introduce the bill again in the fall. Many advocates of the student press wonder whether there is enough public support for the rights of student journalists to pass student free expression laws.