The ACLU has announced support for State Rep. Valdenia Winn, D-34th Dist., who could be expelled from the statehouse for calling a bill that would have denied in-state tuition to immigrants an example of “institutional racism.”
Winn will face a disciplinary hearing Friday, June 26 where an investigative committee of six legislators will decide whether to recommend that she be censured or even expelled from the Kansas Legislature.
“Representative Winn is being punished for speaking her mind on legislation before the committee – something the First Amendment is intended to protect against,” said Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, in a news release. “If the investigative committee recommends action, many more legislators can expect to be silenced – and that’s bad for Kansans. Legislators ought to encourage a robust discussion of all issues before them, not be in the business of policing one another’s speech.”