Federal and state policy and legislative updates

NIRSA’s Government Affairs Committee stays up-to-date on the latest federal and state policy and legislative news through a variety of scanning tools. One particular resource they use is the bi-weekly Policy Pages provided by Active Policy Solutions. (For more on partnership, along with other SAHEC associations, have with Active Policy Solutions, see below.)

The policy issues included in the Policy Pages document are highlights of a point in time. They are by no means exhaustive and change continually – so matters discussed in the last issue normally will not carry over to the next unless there is some updated action to be discussed.

The Committee encourages NIRSA members to keep themselves informed on federal and state policy issues affecting their work as professionals on campuses. These issues could be specific to higher education, physical activity, or NIRSA’s strategic value areas. If you have an issue that is of concern to your campus, reach out the Government Affairs Committee.

Policy Page documents will be stored, as a resource for NIRSA members, in the NIRSA Connect Community library. You can find them within the “Member Benefits” folder in a subfolder titled “Federal and State Policy Pages.”

Full SAHEC Policy Pages

In this issue:

Government Updates

Federal Education

Title IX colleges investigation can consider testimony outside hearings according to the US Department of Education
Blind college students can sue Los Angeles Community College District over accommodations says federal court of appeals
US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights reaffirms the Federal government’s willingness to act to defend the rights of transgender students

Federal Legislation

College accreditation standards reform “Quality Higher Education Act” bill (HR 5103) reintroduced
College student loans “Student Loan Refinancing Act” bill (HR 5084) introduced
Schools and colleges protections from COVID-19-related lawsuits “Open Schools Responsibly Act” bill (HR 5079) reintroduced
College student loan default rate bill (HR 5126) introduced
Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act (S 2550/HR 4786) written about in an Inside Higher Ed article

Other Federal News

Biden Administration LGBTQ+ protections topic of lawsuit by 20 states

State and Local Government

Kentucky

Kentucky college student wrestler death from heatstroke after wrestling practice topic of lawsuit

Massachusetts

Massachusetts sexual misconduct enforcement and prevention rules on college campuses change

Michigan

Michigan vaccination, mask, and disclosure employer prohibitions bill introduced

Other Updates

COVID-19 updates
College staff are burning out as schools reopen: opinion piece by Chronicle
School athletes received new COVID-19 guidance from National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) as study shows low risk of cardiac issues after COVID-19 infection
College free expression incidents database released by Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)

Full SAHEC Policy Pages

About NIRSA’s partnership with Active Policy Solutions

As an association, NIRSA strives to monitor and track policy and legislative issues with the potential to impact our members or the campus communities they serve. These issues are wide ranging and may pertain to higher education, employment law, physical fitness, or our strategic values areas.

NIRSA has joined with a subset of SAHEC members (ACUHO-I, ACPA, ASCA, NASPA, and NIRSA) in hiring Active Policy Solutions to assist with monitoring, tracking, analyzing, and determining appropriate action on issues relevant to our associations. Through our partnership with SAHEC, NIRSA continues to monitor policy, legislation, and advocacy work that affects both the higher education and physical activity space. Active Policy Solutions provides government relations and advocacy support to NIRSA and the Association’s SAHEC partners.