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 Budget

• House Education and Workforce Committee advances its portion of the reconciliation package

Federal Administration

• HBCU infrastructure and enrollment support Executive Order issued by the White House
• College foreign funding disclosure Executive Order issued by the White House
• Immigration sanctuary jurisdiction funding restricting Executive Order issued by the White House
• Federal government civilian hiring freeze extended by Presidential Memoranda reports UPI.com

Federal Education

• Harvard University’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration relies on the Administrative Procedure Act according to CNN
• Foreign college student visas restored by the Trump Administration while awaiting new student via policy from ICE reports Politico
• Anti-DEI guidance from US Dept. of Education blocked by federal courts reports Inside Higher Ed
• University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX athletic-related policies according to the US Dept. of Education reports Higher Ed Dive

Federal Health

• Federal LGBTQ+ youth-focused suicide prevention lifeline service faces possible cut by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services reports NPR

Federal Legislation

• Deepfake image removal requirement bill, “TAKE IT DOWN Act,” (HR 633/S 146) Senate version passes both chambers of Congress, eligible to be sent to the President
• College COVID-19 vaccination mandate prohibition bill (HR 3044) introduced

Other Federal News

• US Dept. of Labor overtime Rule challenge’s fate to be decided by May 6 according to News from the States
• College DEI programs elimination and end of boycotts of Israel required to receive research grant funding from NIH reports Inside Higher Ed
• Federal funding stoppage tracker monitoring Trump Administration’s activities reported on by Politico

State and Local Government

• Multiple states pass laws to define gender as binary (male or female) after Federal Executive Orders issued by Pres. Trump subject of article from JD Supra

Arkansas

• Arkansas school and college antisemitism prohibition and Title IV coordinator bill signed into law

California

• California college facility modernization fund authorizing bill, “College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2026,” passes committee

Florida

• Florida colleges partner with ICE to train campus police in immigration enforcement reports local news source
• Florida DOGE agency demands accounts of all published college research reports Inside Higher Ed

Iowa

• Iowa college pregnant and parenting students protections establishing bill state senate version passes state legislature

Kentucky

• Kentucky age requirement for carrying a deadly weapon modifying bill fails to pass the state legislature
• Kentucky public college tuition and mandatory student fee increases prohibiting bill fails to pass the state legislature
• Kentucky homeless college student liaison requiring bill fails to pass the state legislature
• Kentucky sex-based definitions and data collection requirements establishing bill, “Kentucky Women’s Bill of Rights,” fails to pass the state legislature
• Kentucky college in-state tuition only for permanent residents requiring bill fails to pass the state legislature

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Green and Healthy Campus Commission establishment bill awaiting committee action
• Massachusetts college alcohol/drug-free housing and overdose training bill awaiting committee action

Minnesota

• Minnesota higher education modifications bill awaiting committee action

Mississippi

• Mississippi K-12 school and college DEI programming prohibiting bill signed into law
• Mississippi unauthorized camping on public property prohibition bill signed into law

Missouri

• Missouri college belief-based student association discrimination prohibition bill passes state house and has hearing held in state senate

Nebraska

• Nebraska college foreign funding source reporting bill receives proposed amendments and awaits chamber consideration
• Nebraska college diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) eliminating bill awaiting committee action

North Dakota

• North Dakota gender defining bill signed into law
• North Dakota public entity (including colleges) gun injury liability removing bill signed into law

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma college concealed carry authorization bill awaiting committee action
• Oklahoma college vaccination status discrimination prohibiting bill awaiting committee action

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania college that offers housing security for single parents and dependents subject of article from Inside Higher Ed

Tennessee

• Tennessee college anti-Semitic hate monitoring and prevention bill signed into law

Utah

• Utah college rights for religious, political, or ideological student organizations establishing bill signed into law

Washington

• Washington college sexual misconduct policy requirements bill signed into law

Other News – Education

• New college classifications announced by the Carnegie Foundation and ACE reports Inside Higher Ed
• College transgender students support under the Trump Administration subject of article from Higher Ed Dive
• College students’ mental health high work demands impacts and mediating factors study released by the Journal of American College Health reports PubMed
• College student support through technology, flexibility, and well-being subject of report from Educause

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.