IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 770 
Expressing support for the First Amendment to the Constitution and its 
bipartisan impact regarding the protection of free speech as well as 
academic freedoms for all students and faculty. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 3, 2021 
Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina (for himself, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. JORDAN, 
Mr. BOST, Ms. STEFANIK, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. MANN, Mr. BUDD, 
Mr. DAVIDSON, Ms. LETLOW, Mr. BABIN, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. STEUBE, 
Mr. FITZGERALD, Mr. CLINE, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. WEBER of 
Texas, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. MOORE of 
Alabama, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. OWENS, Mr. BISHOP of North Carolina, 
and Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing support for the First Amendment to the Con-
stitution and its bipartisan impact regarding the protec-
tion of free speech as well as academic freedoms for 
all students and faculty. 
Whereas the Constitution is the law of the land; 
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution specifies 
that Congress shall make no law respecting an establish-
ment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; 
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or 
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the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to peti-
tion the Government for a redress of grievances; 
Whereas restrictions on speech at elementary and secondary 
schools, and public institutions of higher education 
amount to suppression and student censorship, which is 
a violation of the Constitution; 
Whereas Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson wrote in 
1943 about the role of schools in our society, stating that 
they ought not to strangle the free mind at its source nor 
teach youth to discount important principles of our Gov-
ernment as mere platitudes; 
Whereas supporting and enforcing these protections is a bi-
partisan issue that benefits students of any political or 
personal ideology, and balancing and protecting the 
rights of different parties help make a campus more con-
ducive to learning, which also promotes the best academic 
experience and outcomes for each and every student at 
any learning institution; 
Whereas the American Civil Liberties Union supports the 
idea that the right to free speech is not just about the 
law but also a vital component of civic education; 
Whereas the Bipartisan Policy Center believes a free and 
open society depends upon the free and open exchanges 
of ideas and perspectives; 
Whereas teachers, college administrators, and boards of 
trustees are often too timid to push back against the cul-
ture of intolerance on their campuses, and high percent-
ages of students are afraid to express their views on con-
troversial issues; 
Whereas a 2019 Young American Foundation poll found that 
46 percent of polled students stated they have stopped 
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themselves from sharing their ideas or opinions in the 
classroom, while half of students attributed their self-cen-
sorship to being judged by their classmates; 
Whereas the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education 
(FIRE) reports that just under a third of students say 
that their college administration makes it either very or 
extremely clear that they will protect free speech on cam-
pus; 
Whereas FIRE also found, in a 2021 survey, that 83 percent 
of students report self-censoring their viewpoints at least 
some of the time in the classroom and 21 percent report 
censoring their viewpoints often; 
Whereas free speech and academic freedom are both clearly 
under attack today by institutions, creating a toxic envi-
ronment for students across the entire political spectrum; 
Whereas the American Council of Trustees and Alumni Presi-
dent Michael Poliakoff stated in 2021 that higher edu-
cation is in crisis, and at some institutions, the erosion 
of freedom of speech and the degradation of the cur-
riculum puts them into a moral freefall; 
Whereas a 2020 Gallup-Knight Foundation study revealed 
that 81 percent of students support a campus environ-
ment where students are exposed to all types of speech, 
even if they may find it offensive; 
Whereas echoing the late Congressman John Lewis, who stat-
ed that without freedom of speech and the right to dis-
sent, important evolutions like the civil rights movement 
would have been a bird without wings, and this freedom 
pertains to all issues critical to the future of our democ-
racy and academics; and 
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Whereas the newly founded and nonpartisan Alumni Free 
Speech Alliance fights to protect the rights of faculty and 
students across the ideological spectrum from suppressive 
institutions: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives ex-
presses support for the First Amendment to the Constitu-
tion and its bipartisan impact regarding the protection of 
free speech as well as academic freedoms for all students 
and faculty. 
Æ 
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