New Voices in Minnesota

• Read our model New Voices bill and talk with SPLC’s New Voices Advocacy and Organizing Team (newvoices@splc.org) about what would work best in Minnesota.
• Contact your state legislators to let them know why this legislation is important to you. Find out who your legislators are here. Not sure what to say? Check out our phone script and letter-writing tips here.

• Refine your thoughts with talking points, find answers to frequently asked questions, or find other resources here.
• Locate a copy of your school district’s student media or student expression policy. This toolkit can tell you everything you need to know about your policy and what you can do with it. Some student media policies offer legal protection equal to or even exceeding New Voices protections. If that’s the case, spread the word! (And let SPLC know, too.)
• Help your colleagues better understand student press freedom by inviting an SPLC expert to join you: SPLC In The Classroom.
• Spread the word about New Voices. Enlist all your friends in Minnesota to raise their voices in support of this measure, which ensures the basic First Amendment rights of student journalists and protects their advisers from retaliation.

• Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier

• 2015: New Voices legislation is introduced for the first time. 
• 2016: HF 2537, sponsored by Rep. (and former student journalist) Cheryl Youakim, is introduced but never heard. 
• 2017: HF 1501 is introduced but never heard. 
• 2018: High school and college student journalists hold a lobby day regarding HF 1501, which is still eligible for consideration. 
• 2019: HF 1868 is introduced in the House. The bill was approved by the House Education committee but never voted on by the full House.

You can see the list of national endorsers at the bottom of this page.