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.”

In this issue:

Government Updates

Federal Education

• College student loan repayments to resume October 1 reports The Hill
• College student legacy admissions process under scrutiny from the US Dept. of Education reports the Associated Press

Federal Health

• COVID-19 new vaccination rollout by federal government facing problems reports The Hill

Federal Legislation

• Mental health state reciprocity law temporary waiver bill, “Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act” (HR 5541), reintroduced
• College access for foster and unhoused youth state formula grant bills, “Fostering Success in Higher Education Act” (HR 5562/S 2849), reintroduced
• Sexual violence survivor student loan deferment bills, “Student Loan Deferment for Sexual Violence Survivors Act” (HR 5588/S 2872), reintroduced
• College COVID-19 vaccination mandate prohibition bill (HR 5634) introduced
• Higher education matched savings program bills, “Earn to Learn Act” (HR 5645/S 2877), introduced
• College hazing reporting bills, “Report and Education About Campus Hazing Act” (HR 5646/S 2901), reintroduced
• College harassment and bullying prohibition bills, “Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act” (HR 5685/S 2902), reintroduced
• College student eligibility of SNAP notification requirement bill (S 2881) introduced
• Colleges with veteran students requirement of notification of adverse actions to the US Department of
• Veterans Affairs bill, “Isakson-Roe Education Oversight Expansion Act” (HR 3981), passes the House
• College gift of foreign origin disclosure bills, “Safeguarding American Education from Foreign Control Act” (HR 4145/S 2856), have Senate version introduced
• Pell Grant supplemental program creation bill, “Pell Plus Act” (HR 5489), text becomes available

State and Local Government

California

• California college campus name and gender affirmation bill signed into law

Michigan

• Michigan public universities guarantee admission based on GPA reports The Detroit News

Ohio

• Ohio COVID-19 lawsuit against The Ohio State University brought to State Supreme Court reports The Lantern
• Ohio college omnibus bill with DEI provision passes the state senate and gets press coverage

Texas

• Texas college diversity, equity, and inclusion ban guidance offered by Texas A&M reports Higher Ed Dive

Funding

• K-12 and college mental health support services receive $2.6 million in funding from Biden Administration

Other

• College students’ mental health needs being met through creative solutions subject of article in TIME Magazine
• College student mental health boosted by colleges leveraging their outdoor spaces reports EdSource
• Transgender athlete-inclusive sports policies subject of new book titled “Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates”

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.