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 Government News

  • Title IX US Department of Education’s virtual public hearing registration is open
  • Title IX advocate and former US Department of Education official nominated by the Biden Administration to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

Federal Legislation

  • PHIT Act (HR 3109) reintroduced
  • College transparency on foreign gifts bill (HR 3136) introduced
  • Student loan for married couples tax deduction bill (HR 3196) introduced
  • Private college endowment taxing bill (S 1547) introduced

Other Federal News

  • College police found to have qualified immunity by federal appeals court

State and Local Government News

California

  • California college sexual assault services expansion bill hearing scheduled

Florida

  • Florida sex offender identity available to the public requiring, “Serena’s Law,” bill passes the legislature and awaits action by governor
  • Florida college COVID-19 related lawsuits shielding bill passes the legislature and awaits governor’s action
  • Florida school and colleges sports participation by birth gender amendment added to a charter school bill
  • passes the legislature and awaits governor’s signature to become law

Idaho

  • Idaho college free speech codes compliance strengthening bill passes the state house
  • Idaho school and college teaching critical race theory prohibiting bill passes the state house

Illinois

  • Illinois college sports gambling allowing bill introduced
  • Illinois college student ID suicide prevention lifeline bill passes the state senate and awaiting vote by the state house

Iowa

  • Iowa school and college first amendment rights bill passes the state legislature
  • Iowa school and college racism or sexism trainings bill passes the state legislature
  • Iowa businesses checking for COVID-19 vaccinations discouraging bill passes the state legislature

Kansas

  • Kansas school and colleges sports participation by birth gender, the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” bill
  • vetoed and legislature fails to override

Louisiana

  • Louisiana college employee sexual assault reporting requiring bill passes the state house
  • Louisiana school and colleges sports participation by birth gender, the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” bill passes the state senate and passes state house committee
  • Louisiana college sexual assault reporting to Title IX coordinator requiring bill passes the state senate
  • Louisiana college Power-Based Violence Review Panel creating bill passes the state senate

Montana

  • Montana college campus gun law may be challenged in court by Montana Board of Regents
  • Montana college student-athlete rights and protections bill signed into law

New Jersey

  • New Jersey school and colleges sports participation by birth gender, the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” bill introduced
  • New Jersey hazing policy senate bill passes the state senate and referred to assembly committee while assembly bill passes committee

South Carolina

  • South Carolina school and college suicide prevention hotlines on IDs bill signed into law

Texas

  • Texas college IDs with National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number bill introduced
  • Texas school and college suicide prevention information on student ID cards bill passes the state house and sent to the state senate
  • Texas school and college IDs with National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number bill passes the state senate and is now before the state house
  • Texas college mental health task force bill passes the state senate and sent to the state house

West Virginia

  • West Virginia school and college sports participation by birth sex bill signed into law

Funding

  • College Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERF III) grant applications available
  • College funding for low income support, the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), available
  • Predominantly Black Institutions Competitive grants available from the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) at the US Department of Education

Other News

  • College Greek life permanently eliminated at Bloomsburg University
  • College degrees vary in benefits according to new report

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 Director of Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships Erin O’Sullivan.
Headshot of Erin O'Sullivan
Director of Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships at | NIRSA Profile

Erin O'Sullivan is currently the Director of Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships at NIRSA.