11
to redact their names and the
names of their schools) for fear of
retaliation from administrators.
Still, we ended up with a small
but chilling number of stories
to share with legislators about
the realities of censorship in
Maryland public schools.
Student newspapers across the
state wrote opinion pieces in
support of the bill. Those pieces
were shared with legislators
along with other press we
received. At every step of
the process from the Senate
committee to the governor
signing the bill, we asked
teachers to email their legislators.
They did, as did their students
and many of the student’s
parents. One enterprising teacher
shared the legislation with the
Montgomery County Association
of PTA’s. The group, representing
parents in the largest school
system in the state, voted to
support New Voices.
One thing I learned about the
process of passing a bill was
that getting your bill through its
assigned committees is the key
to gaining passage on the floor
of the legislature. This year, over
1,500 bills were introduced in
the Maryland State Legislature.
All of them were taken up in the
various committees. Generally,
unless a bill is particularly
contentious, if it passes
committee, members likely will
support it on the floor.
Due to an injury, I couldn’t be
there the day our bill went
before the Senate Education,
Health and Environmental Affairs
Committee. Senator Raskin, Frank
LoMonte and Rebecca Snyder
spoke effectively for the bill. It
made it out of committee with
only minor amendments and
was passed on the Senate floor
37-9. We had less than 24 hours
notice of the hearing in the
House Appropriations Committee
(and, no, I have no idea why we
were before Appropriations).
Frank LoMonte was out of town
working in support of a bill in
another state. Senator Raskin
spoke passionately in support of
the bill, and Rebecca Snyder and I
were able to give testimony.
The only real opposition to New
Voices arose in that hearing when
a lobbyist for the county boards
of education in the state spoke
in opposition to the bill. While he
was against its passage entirely,
his primary opposition to the
law was that it would prevent
administrators from censoring
material that was, “lewd, vulgar or
obscene.” After amending the bill
to include those prohibitions, the
bill passed committee and was
sent to the House floor where it
passed 129-8. It was a great honor
to represent all those who had
worked for the passage of the bill
at the signing by the governor.
Starting Oct. 1, 2016, the free
press rights of students in
Maryland will be protected for
the first time in nearly 30 years.
The bill also protects
students from prior
restraint and protects both
students and teachers
from retaliation over the
journalism they create. It
Senate
also protects
President
the right of
Mike Miller,
administrators Governor Larry
Hogan and
to censor
Speaker of the
House Michael
the student
Busch signing
press, but for
the bill. Photo
the first time by Robin Clites.
in our state, delineates a list of
journalistically sound reasons
why they may do so.
What did we learn in the process
of passing New Voices Maryland?
• Passing a bill starts with one
person sending an email or
making a call.
• The Student Press Law Center
will provide very committed
support for your bill.
• Finding a strong original
sponsor is key. Read the bios of
your state’s legislators to find
the right one.
• Reach out to the professional
press associations in your area
for support and help.
• Contact the professional press
to gather support.
• Enlist the teachers, students
and parents in your state to
work in support of the bill and
keep them constantly updated.
Perhaps the most important
outcome of the passage of the
student free press bill in Maryland
is that it will help keep the New
Voices movement growing and
spreading to other states. In a
few years, maybe all students will
go to schools w here their First
Amendment rights are respected
and encouraged.