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
- FY26 Federal Budget Reconciliation signed into law by President Trump
Federal Administration
- Federal government layoffs allowed to continue under Supreme Court decision
Federal Education
- Colleges’ finances and budgets are impacted by federal budget cuts reports New America
- Federal 90/10 Rule college revenue classification interpretation amended by the US Dept. of Education
- College student transgender athletes’ ability to participate on girls’ and women’s athletic teams to be taken up by the US Supreme Court next year reports The Hill
- US Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is dismissing complaints at a high rate reports Higher Ed Dive
- US Department of Education’s 2024 statistical report on US education misses annual deadline and key information reports The Brookings Institute
Federal Health
- Federal vaccine policy changes result in a lawsuit from doctors and public health organizations reports the Associated Press
Federal Legislation
- Federal vaccine policy changes result in a lawsuit from doctors and public health organizations reports the Associated Press
State and Local Government
Michigan
- Michigan antisemitic discriminatory conduct defining bill introduced
Mississippi
- Mississippi college coeducational housing reporting bill fails to become law
North Carolina
- North Carolina concealed carry of a handgun by eligible citizens authorizing bill vetoed by the governor and returned to the state senate
Tennessee
- Tennessee college hunger-free grant program establishing bill fails to become law
- Tennessee athletic trainer scope of practice expanding bill fails to become law
Washington
- Washington college workforce secondary traumatic stress addressing policies and resources creating bill fails to become law
- Washington public college students required to live on campus or in college residence halls prohibiting bill fails to become law
- Washington college athletic participation by chromosomal makeup requiring bill fails to become law
- Washington colleges’ free speech fundamentals workshop for incoming students requiring bill fails to become law
West Virginia
- West Virginia state government DEI efforts and racial superiority K-12 instruction prohibiting bill, “Equal Treatment by Executive Branch Act of 2025” and “Equal Treatment in Primary and Secondary Education Act of 2025,” state senate version signed into law
- West Virginia gender-related omnibus bill, “West Virginia Women’s Bill of Rights Act” or “The West Virginia Act to Define Sex-Based Terms Used in State Law, Help Protect Single Sex Spaces, and Ensure the Accuracy of Public Data Collection,” fails to become law
- West Virginia concealed permitless carry age expanding bill fails to become law
- West Virginia carrying of a deadly weapon age from 21 to 18 bill, “West Virginia Carry Act of 2025,” fails to become law
- West Virginia public college DEI efforts prohibiting bill fails to become law
- West Virginia college transcript fee prevention bill fails to become law
- West Virginia college student food insecurity grant and hunger-free campus designation requirements establishing bill, “Hunger-Free Campus Act,” failed to become law
- West Virginia college immunization as an admission requirement prohibition bill fails to become law
- West Virginia college grounds banning for people convicted of certain crimes allowing bill fails to become law
Other News
- College student persistence and retention rates increase finds study
- College academic support systems recommendations opinion article by Inside Higher Ed
- University of Pennsylvania agrees to ban transgender student-athletes and remove previous transgender student-athletic records reports The Hill
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.
- For more information, please contact NIRSA Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives & Impact Erin O’Sullivan.
Erin O'Sullivan is currently the Senior Director of Initiatives and Impact at NIRSA.
