An Act To Enact the Campus Free Expression Act
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §10014 is enacted to read:
§ 10014. Campus Free Expression Act
SUMMARY
This bill authorizes a person who wishes to engage in an expressive activity, as defined in the bill, in an outdoor area of campus of a public institution of higher education to do so freely as long as the person's conduct is lawful and does not materially and substantially disrupt the functioning of the public institution of higher education. It prohibits a public institution of higher education from designating an area of campus as a free speech zone or otherwise creating policies restricting expressive activities to a particular outdoor area of campus, except that it allows public institutions of higher education to create and enforce restrictions on time, place and manner of expression that are reasonable and content-neutral. The Attorney General has the authority to enforce compliance, and a person whose rights are violated may bring an action to enjoin violations and to recover compensatory damages, reasonable court costs and attorney's fees.