A Texas House of Representatives panel includes Republican members who aren’t quite on board with a piece of legislation received from the Texas Senate that will eliminate tenure for professors at the state’s public universities.
Senate Bill (SB) 18 targets professors, the bill’s GOP sponsors, led by State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), assert are inappropriately expressing their ideologies using “academic freedom” as a cover.
Austin NPR affiliate KUT reported that SB 18 has been since amended to allow higher learning institutions to still offer tenure.
The revised version offered by State Rep. John Kuempel (R-Seguin) would codify tenure into state law and require university leaders to implement policies for dismissing tenured faculty who engage in unprofessional conduct or are deemed professionally incompetent, KUT reported.
Per a report from The Texas Tribune, when quizzed by a Democratic member of the state House Committee on Higher Education that he chairs what would happen when both chambers of the Texas Legislature attempt to smooth over their differences, Kuempel responded, “We will fight.”
KUT reported that removing tenure was on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s list of priorities released ahead of the ongoing 88th legislative session, and Kuempel expressed concern about its prospects once it moves back to the Senate.
“While I think you’ve done a great job with the committee [substitute], working on large bills in the past with the Senate, I worry about how this progresses forward,” the South Central Texas lawmaker said.
Citing the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), KUT reported that tenure was first issued during World War II in an effort to protect academic freedom, according to the Lone Star Standard.
The AAUP defines tenure as “an indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances.”
The Texas Tribune reported that the House has until May 20 for its committees to approve Senate bills.
"There’s actually a problem that this [committee substitute] is trying to solve and that is the original bill,” State Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) said about SB 18, per The Texas Tribune. “This is a political process … And we have to be practical and cognizant of that as well as we’re trying to figure out how to maneuver through this.”
