Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act: An Update

On Thursday, March 21, the House’s Committee on Education & the Workforce advanced H.R. 7683, Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act. The bill addresses crucial concerns surrounding freedom of association, particularly in the context of Greek life and other student organizations.

On passage of the bill in the committee, Education & Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said: “Partisan accreditors, political litmus tests, and the degradation of Constitutional rights on campus are reducing the value of education programs and setting students back. We passed bills that emphasize education freedom and work to restore institutions’ core academic functions. [This bill] will get government and political agendas out of the way and allow America’s students the room to grow.”

H.R. 7683 contains the following language:

• Makes free speech on campus a condition of receiving Title IV funds under the Higher Education Act (HEA).
• Requires all institutions to disclose annually First Amendment policies held by the institution.
• Prohibits institutions from forcing students, faculty, or applicants to take political litmus tests.

A video of the full markup can be found on the committee’s YouTube channel.

Eleven college students and alumnae are in Washington, D.C., with the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) on Wednesday, April 10, and speaking in support of H.R. 7683.

You can lend your voice by calling 202-224-3121 by asking to speak to your U.S. representative to give their support as a cosponsor to H.R. 7683. (Find your representative on the house.gov website.)