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 NRISA 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 & Health

  • College student loan debt will be affected by rising inflation according to The Hill.
  • Former transgender college student’s Title IX complaint will be investigated by the US of Ed. According to The Hill.
  • White House announces program to provide free N95 masks.
  • COVID-19 vaccine mandate stopped by US Supreme Court.
  • Free COVID-19 at home tests ordering website launched by Biden Administration according to AP News.

Federal Legislation

  • College student expanded access to food assistance bill, the “Enhance Access to SNAP Act” (HR 1919), adds a new cosponsor.
  • College students’ basic needs bill, the “BASIC Act” (HR 3857), adds 2 new cosponsors.
  • Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act (HR 5407) adds a new
  • College students with disabilities Pell Grant flexibility bill (HR 5739) adds a new cosponsor.
  • Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) reinstatement bill (HR 6161) adds 18 new cosponsors.
  • College students with disabilities college sexual violence bill, the “Safe Equitable Campus Resources and Education Act of 2022” (HR 6371/S 3471), reintroduced.
  • Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (S 251) adds a new cosponsor.
  • College benefit parity for National Guard members bill, the “Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2021” (HR 1836), passes the House.

State and Local Government

Arizona

  • Arizona college applicant disability proving documentation defining bill introduced and assigned to

California

  • California colleges will receive funding increases according to governor’s state budget.

Florida

  • Florida interstate psychologist continuation of services allowing bill introduced.
  • Florida college athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) expanding bill introduced.

Illinois

  • Illinois COVID-19 vaccination religious exemptions establishing bill introduced.

Indiana

  • Indiana school and college sports by birth sex bill introduced.
  • Indiana college “free speech” protecting bill introduced.
  • Indiana school and college mental health and suicide prevention supporting bill introduced.

Kentucky

  • Kentucky school and college sports participation by birth sex bill introduced.
  • Kentucky college “free speech” protecting bill introduced.

Maine

  • Maine youth mental health services health insurance coverage requiring bill introduced.
  • University of Maine college student health insurance policy, topic of opinion piece.
  • Maine college athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL) bill introduced.

Mississippi

  • Mississippi college epinephrine auto-injectors and defibrillators in every building on campus requiring bill
  • Mississippi hazing penalties increasing bill introduced.
  • Mississippi college anti-hazing policy requiring bill introduced.
  • Mississippi college athletes’ annual mental health assessments requiring bill introduced.
  • Mississippi colleges 50% in-person instruction or no state funding bill introduced.

Missouri

  • Missouri college and school ID with crisis hotline numbers requiring bills introduced Missouri college student state financial assistance semester limit increasing bill introduced.

Funding

  • Evidence-based guidelines standards requirements for grantees explained and defined by the CDC.

Education

  • COVID-19 college related select headlines
  • College student enrollment continues to drop causing concerns for the future according to The Washington Post
  • College student affordability views impact college enrollment, and trends could worsen during COVID according to new study
  • Schools and colleges impacted by ransomware Finalsite attack according to CNN

Activities

  • College football head coaches got $13.6M in bonuses from public schools according to USA Today
  • NCAA updates its definition of fully vaccinated
  • Name, Image, Likeness (NIL)/college student athletes as employees questions needing answers Civil Rights

Health & Wellbeing

  • College students’ mental health worsened with COVID-19 according to new survey
  • College students in the sexual and gender minority and also have ADHD at higher risk of functional impairments and substance abuse according to new study

Civil Rights

  • Transgender college student athlete’s success topic of debate over fairness examined in Washington Post
  • Transgender athlete participation policy will be discussed at NCAA Board of Governors meeting
  • Blind college students discuss need for accessible college classes on EdSource Podcast
  • Columbia University student worker 10-week strike takeaways reported on by The 74
  • Northwestern University librarians vote to unionize according to Inside Higher Ed
  • College lawsuits to watch in 2022 according to Higher Ed Dive article

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.

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.