Lawmakers advance ‘specified concepts’ bill

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Lawmakers advanced a bill addressing controversial issues like race and sexuality at universities this week.

The House of Representatives passed SB 2247, which would prohibit discrimination against students or employees of higher ed institutions based on their refusal to support or oppose specified concepts, like critical race theory. Lawmakers who are currently students and professors weighed in on the issue.

“There are numerous students, myself included, who have thought that are grades or papers or GPA would take a hit because we hold certain viewpoints that might not necessarily align with our professor. There really shouldn’t be a concern at all,” said Representative Matt Heilman, R-Bismarck, who is a student at BSC.

“A student could literally say, ‘I got a bad grade because I disagree with the divisive concept you’re teaching,’ – when I’m not really even teaching it, but it’s just part of what you’re teaching. And it’s maybe that they just didn’t answer the question at all,” said Representative Eric Murphy, R-Grand Forks, who is a professor at UND SMHS.

It passed the House by a vote of 51-40. The bill would cost the state a million dollars over the next two years for the state board of higher ed to conduct student and employee surveys. Next, it heads back to the Senate for concurrence on amendments.