Texas lawmakers created two committees examining free speech on college campuses in response to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, which sparked concerns about the erosion of civil discourse in the U.S. 

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced the formation of the House and Senate Select Committees on Civil Discourse & Freedom of Speech in Higher Education to “hono[r] the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk.” The new committees come after the Turning Point USA co-founder was fatally shot at Utah Valley University last week during one of his signature events debating students about a range of issues, including politics, religion, and family. 

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In statements, the two Republican lawmakers argued the committees are necessary due to concerns that the constitutional right to freely exchange and debate views, including controversial ones, is in danger. 

“Charlie Kirk was my friend. He was assassinated for simply expressing his First Amendment rights,” Patrick said. “The attack on Charlie was an attack on the First Amendment. Those who cheered his murder are also cheering for the death of America. We cannot tolerate either at our institutions of higher learning.”

“Charlie dedicated his life to open, respectful dialogue with those he disagreed, and that approach is something we should all celebrate and fight to protect,” Burrows added. “This committee will help identify ways to better protect the fundamental right of free speech on our college campuses, including ways to ensure political gatherings are safe and secure.”

Seven senators and eight House members will study university climate in the months ahead due to what lawmakers described as a statewide “responsibility to ensure its publicly funded institutions foster open dialogue and do not discriminate against students, faculty, or staff based on their beliefs.” The probe will include potentially increasing security at campus events.

“We may have to look at outdoor activities as opposed to indoor activities. We may have to look at what is effective security for a big rally,” state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, chair of the Senate committee, said.

The committee will also scrutinize the implementation of Senate Bills 37 and 2972, which were passed by the state legislature this year and are related to “the expressive activities at public institutions of higher education.” 

Democratic state representative Richard Pena Raymond, who is serving as the Vice Chair of the House committee, said he hopes the panel can convey that people should not fear political violence for open dialogue. 

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“Here I am as a Democrat. Charlie Kirk was a Republican, a very conservative Republican. I never met the guy, but if I had met him, I’d debate him on things I’m sure, and at the end of it, I would shake his hand and say, ‘You know we agree on one thing, we can’t have violence,’” Raymond told KGNS. 

State Sen. Cesar Blanco, one of two Democrats on the Senate committee, said higher education institutions “should be places where every Texan, regardless of background or political beliefs, feels safe to engage in political discourse… even when ideas are controversial or uncomfortable.”