HB 2238 — universities; public policy events

HB2238 - 542R - H-Education-ProposedH Ver   Fifty-fourth  Legislature                                               House EducationEngrossed         State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session                                                 Session H.B.      HOUSE BILL 2238       AN ACT   amending Title 15, chapter 13, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 15-1647;

 relating PROPOSEDto HOUSEthe OFarizona REPRESENTATIVESboard AMENDMENTSof TOregents. H.B.

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CH/lsSection 1.  Title  15,  chapter 13, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-1647, to read:

START_STATUTE15-1647.  Office of public policy events;

duties;

definitions A.  each university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents shall establish, fund and staff an office of public policy events.

B.  Each office of public policy events shall:

1.  Organize, publicize and stage debates, group forums and individual lectures that address, from multiple, divergent and opposing perspectives, an extensive range of public policy issues that are widely discussed and debated in society at large.

2.  Invite speakers who hold widely diverse perspectives, from within and outside the university, to participate in debates, group forums and individual lectures.  If the office of public policy events is unable to find an advocate from within the university who is well-versed in a perspective the office wishes to see represented in a given debate, group forum or individual lecture, the office should seek to invite such a speaker from outside the university.

3.  If necessary, provide honoraria and travel and lodging expenses to persons from outside the university who participate in debates, group forums and individual lectures that the office of public policy events organizes.

4.  Maintain a permanent, publicly accessible, searchable and current calendar that lists all events the office of public policy events organizes and all other debates, group forums and individual lectures that address public policy issues and that are open to the entire campus community at the university.  The calendar shall include the title of each event, the name and institutional affiliation of the speaker or speakers and the office, institute, department, program or organization that is sponsoring the event.  The calendar is not required to include events that are sponsored by off-campus groups in rented facilities.  The office of public policy events shall post this calendar online and prepare a printed copy for any member of the public on request and shall retain all calendars from previous years for public review.

5.  Beginning September 1, 2021 and on or before September 1 of each year thereafter, transmit both a printed and electronic copy of the calendar prepared pursuant to this subsection for the previous academic year to the governor, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives and the secretary of state.

6.  Make publicly available online a complete video record of every debate, group forum and individual lecture that the office of public policy events organizes.  The office of public policy events shall do all of the following:

(a)  Post the video of each event online within ten in-session working days after the event.

(b)  Maintain each video online for at least five years after the date of the event.

(c)  Permanently preserve videos of each debate, group forum and individual lecture that the office of public policy events organizes at the university and make these videos available to the public.

7.  Open each debate, group forum and individual lecture that the office of public policy events organizes to all students, faculty and staff at the university and, unless restricting attendance by persons unaffiliated with the university is necessary to achieve a compelling governmental interest, to the general public.

C.  The office of public policy events shall report directly to either the university office that is responsible for reporting and analytics or to the office of the university general counsel.

D.  For the purposes of this section:

1.  "Debate" means an event at which two or more participants speak in favor of opposing approaches to the same public policy dispute, after which each participant is allotted time to address and rebut the position presented by the opposing speaker or speakers.

2.  "Group forum" means an event at which two or more speakers address a public policy dispute from divergent or opposing perspectives, after which each participant is allotted time to address questions from the audience and to comment on fellow speakers' positions if the participant chooses.

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