by Kerry W. Foxx
Ramaz Bluashvili/Pexels
Higher education legislation continues to be a hot topic, so it’s more important than ever that we understand the actions being taken by the government. Legislators are proposing a range of bills that have the potential to dramatically change the post-secondary landscape.
In this round-up, we’re going to focus on speech, association, and access. Have a read, and if one or more of the bills interests you, then you have some options:
1. Register on congress.gov and sign up for alerts so that you stay up-to-date on the bills that interest you.
2. Write or call your congressional representative or senator to let them know your thoughts about the bill(s). Talk to your friends and family and have them do the same. Apps like 5 Calls, Reistbot, and Democracy.io make contacting your representatives easier than ever.
3. Identify civic groups that are advocating for the bills you want to see enacted — or against those you don’t — and get involved directly or donate to them.
House Bills
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) introduced the Veteran Education Empower Act (H.R. 1078), which reauthorizes and makes improvements to a grant program that assists colleges and universities with establishing and operating student veteran centers.
Status: Introduced 2/17/2023
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced the Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2023 (H.R. 2451). The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide freedom of association protections for students who want to join single-sex social organizations (e.g. fraternities and sororities) on college campuses. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the College Freedom of Association Act (H.R. 1626) as well, which is similar on its face.
Status: Introduced 3/17 and 3/30/2023
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the Higher Education Dream Act of 2023 (H.R. 1701), which would prohibit colleges and universities from refusing to admit, enroll, or provide in-state tuition to students based on their citizenship status.
Status: Introduced 3/22/2023
Rep. Gregory Murphy (R-NC) introduced the Campus Free Speech Restoration Act (H.R. 2508). The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure that public institutions of higher education abstain from enacting policies that constrain the expressive rights of students and to ensure that private institutions of higher education are transparent about, and responsible for, their chosen speech policies.
Status: Introduced 4/6/2023
Senate and House Bills
Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2023 (S.16/H.R. 435). The bill prohibits colleges and universities from providing abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees.
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced the Equal Campus Access Act of 2023 (S.985/H.R.1816) to ensure campus access at public institutions of higher education for religious groups. The bill would restrict federal funding for schools that discriminate against student organizations based on their religious beliefs, according to one of its co-sponsors. The bill is being offered in direct response to the Education Department’s proposal to rescind regulations the Department believes are “not necessary, have created confusion among institutions, and prescribe an unduly burdensome role for the Department to investigate allegations regarding treatment of religious student organizations on college campuses.”
Status: Introduced 3/27/2023
Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) introduced the RISE (Response, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower) Act (S.1071/H.R.2401). The legislation would require colleges and universities to accept a previous evaluation (e.g. Individualized Education Program) as sufficient proof of disability when a student requests accommodations, instead of requiring them to get additional evaluations. The bill also includes funding to train educators on how to support students with disabilities.
Status: Referred to Committee(s) 3/30/2023
Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced the SECuRE (Safe Equitable Campus Resources and Education Act of 2023) (S.1070/H.R.2421). The SECuRE Act amends the Clery Act and requires colleges and universities to consider the needs of people with disabilities in campus planning and responses to incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. It also requires that (1) materials are available in accessible formats, (2) prevention and awareness programs address behavior and attacks that target people with disabilities, and (3) campus personnel receive training to work with people with disabilities.
Status: Referred to Committee(s) 3/30/2023
Interested in State legislation? Check out the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Postsecondary Bill Tracking Database.
Disclaimer: HigherEdJobs encourages free discourse and expression of issues while striving for accurate presentation to our audience. A guest opinion serves as an avenue to address and explore important topics, for authors to impart their expertise to our higher education audience and to challenge readers to consider points of view that could be outside of their comfort zone. The viewpoints, beliefs, or opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the author(s) and don’t imply endorsement by HigherEdJobs.
