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

  • Title IX rule change delay and its possible effects subject of article by Higher Ed Dive
  • Pandemic-related higher education funding from US government totaled $13.2M per college according to S&P findings

Federal Legislation

  • Student Loan Deferment for Sexual Violence Survivors Act (HR 7980) introduced
  • College student loan transferring from parent to child bill, “Parent PLUS Loan Fairness and Responsibility Act” (HR 7982), introduced
  • Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (HR 426) adds 3 new cosponsors
  • College alcohol and substance misuse program updating bill, “Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2022” (HR 6493), adds 2 new cosponsors

State and Local Government

Colorado

  • Colorado college competitiveness bill signed into law

Illinois

  • Illinois college benefit navigator requirement bill signed into law
  • Illinois college student loan equity for minority and disabled students plan bill signed into law

Kansas

  • Kansas sexual extortion bill dies in the state senate
  • Kansas college athlete NIL bill dies in the state senate
  • Kansas school and college sports participation by gender assigned at birth, Fairness in Women’s Sports bills pass the state senate, but dies in state house committee

Louisiana

  • Louisiana hunger-free campus grant program establishment bill passes the legislature and sent to the governor
  • Louisiana athletic training statute modification bill passes the legislature and sent to the governor
  • Louisiana college and school sports participation by gender assigned at birth bill, “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” enacted without the governor’s signature
  • Louisiana college student with intellectual and developmental disability programming funding bill sent to governor

Massachusetts

  • Massachusetts college requirement to maintain medication abortion readiness plans for students bill combining several previous bills passes committee

New Jersey

  • New Jersey college admission applications criminal history inquiry prohibiting bill introduced
  • New Jersey college maintenance of naloxone nasal spray requirement bills introduced

New York

  • New York college requirement to offer abortion medication to students introduced

Ohio

  • Ohio school and college sports participation by sex assigned at birth bill, Save Women’s Sports Act, introduced

Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania school and college sports participation by sex assigned at birth bill passes the state house and passes committee in the state senate

Education

  • Colleges’ efforts to prevent gun violence on campus focus of article in Inside Higher Ed
  • Higher education finance report by state for FY21 released by State Higher Education Executive Officers Association

Civil Rights

  • Transgender female athlete participation in women’s sports not supported by more than half of Americans according to poll by The Washington Post
  • Undergraduate student employees are forming unions in Connecticut and across the US reports Connecticut Public Radio
  • College organizations oppose bans on teaching ‘divisive concepts’ as threat to free speech according to Inside Higher Ed

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.