I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2057 
To affirm and protect the First Amendment rights of students and student 
organizations at public institutions of higher education. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 11, 2025 
Mrs. HOUCHIN (for herself, Mr. OWENS, and Mr. BEAN of Florida) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To affirm and protect the First Amendment rights of stu-
dents and student organizations at public institutions 
of higher education. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Students Bill of Rights 
Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. STUDENTS BILL OF RIGHTS. 
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 112 the fol-
lowing new section: 
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‘‘SEC. 112A. STUDENTS BILL OF RIGHTS TO FURTHER PRO-
TECT SPEECH AND ASSOCIATION. 
‘‘(a) PROTECTED RIGHTS.—A covered public institu-
tion that receives funds under this Act, including through 
participation in a program authorized under title IV, shall 
comply with the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) RECOGNIZED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS.— 
A covered public institution that has recognized stu-
dent organizations shall comply with the following 
requirements: 
‘‘(A) FACULTY ADVISORS.—A covered pub-
lic institution may not deny recognition to a 
student organization solely because the organi-
zation is unable to obtain a faculty advisor or 
sponsor, provided that the organization meets 
each of the other institutional requirements for 
such recognition. The institution shall ensure 
that any policy or practice related to the rec-
ognition of a student organization— 
‘‘(i) does not require a faculty or staff 
member of the institution to serve as fac-
ulty advisor or to otherwise participate in, 
support, or sponsor the organization; or 
‘‘(ii) if the institution does have a re-
quirement that a faculty or staff member 
serve as described in clause (i) as a condi-
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tion for recognition of the student organi-
zation, and an organization that meets 
each of the other institutional require-
ments for such recognition is unable to se-
cure such a faculty or staff member, pro-
vides for an alternative to such require-
ment, which may include waiver of such re-
quirement or the institution assigning a 
faculty or staff member to such organiza-
tion. 
‘‘(B) AFFILIATION.—A covered public in-
stitution may not deny recognition to a student 
organization solely because of the organization’s 
affiliation with, or status as a chapter of, a na-
tional or other organization. 
‘‘(C) APPEAL
OPTIONS
FOR
RECOGNI-
TION.—A covered public institution shall pro-
vide an appeals process by which a student or-
ganization that has been denied recognition by 
the institution may appeal to an institutional 
appellate entity for reconsideration. The institu-
tion shall ensure that such appellate entity did 
not participate in any prior proceeding related 
to the denial of recognition to such organiza-
tion. 
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‘‘(2) DISTRIBUTION
OF
FUNDS
TO
STUDENT 
ORGANIZATIONS.—A covered public institution that 
collects a mandatory fee from students for the costs 
of student activities and events and provides funds 
generated from such student fees to one or more 
recognized student organizations of the institution 
shall— 
‘‘(A) establish and make publicly available 
clear, objective, content- and viewpoint-neutral, 
and exhaustive standards to be used by the in-
stitution to determine— 
‘‘(i) the total amount of funds made 
available for allocations to the recognized 
student organizations; and 
‘‘(ii) the allocations of such total 
amount to individual recognized student 
organizations; 
‘‘(B) ensure that allocations are made to 
the recognized student organizations in accord-
ance with the standards established pursuant to 
subparagraph (A); 
‘‘(C) upon the request of a recognized stu-
dent organization that has been denied all or a 
portion of an allocation described in subpara-
graph (B), provide to the organization, in writ-
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ing (which may include electronic communica-
tion) and in a timely manner, the specific rea-
sons for such denial and information of the ap-
peals process described in subparagraph (D); 
‘‘(D) provide an appeals process by which 
a recognized student organization that has been 
denied all or a portion of an allocation de-
scribed in subparagraph (B) may appeal to an 
institutional appellate entity for reconsideration, 
and the institution shall ensure that such appel-
late entity did not participate in any prior pro-
ceeding related to such allocation; and 
‘‘(E) have in place policies and procedures 
to disqualify an individual or entity from par-
ticipating in a determination described in sub-
paragraph (A) or (B), or an appeal described in 
subparagraph (D), if such individual or entity 
has failed to apply the standards for determina-
tions established by the institution pursuant to 
this paragraph. 
‘‘(3) ASSESSMENT
OF
SECURITY
FEES
FOR 
EVENTS.—A covered public institution shall establish 
and make publicly available clear, objective, content- 
and viewpoint-neutral, and exhaustive standards to 
be used by the institution to— 
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‘‘(A) determine the amount of any security 
fee for an event or activity organized by a stu-
dent or student organization; and 
‘‘(B) ensure that a determination of such 
an amount may not be based, in whole or in 
part, on— 
‘‘(i) the content of expression or view-
point of the student or student organiza-
tion; 
‘‘(ii) the purpose or content of expres-
sion of the event or activity organized by 
the student or student organization; 
‘‘(iii) the content of expression or 
viewpoint of an invited guest of the student 
or student organization; or 
‘‘(iv) an anticipated reaction by stu-
dents or the public to the event or activity 
due to the purpose, content of expression, 
or viewpoint expressed at the event or ac-
tivity by the student, student organization, 
or an invited guest. 
‘‘(4) PROTECTIONS FOR INVITED GUESTS AND 
SPEAKERS.—A covered public institution shall estab-
lish and make publicly available clear, objective, 
content- and viewpoint-neutral, and exhaustive 
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standards to be used by the institution related to the 
safety and protection of speakers and guests who are 
invited to the institution by a student or student or-
ganization. 
‘‘(b) ENFORCEMENT.— 
‘‘(1) CAUSE OF ACTION.— 
‘‘(A) CIVIL ACTION.—Whoever is harmed 
by a covered public institution by the mainte-
nance of a policy or practice of the institution 
that is in violation of a requirement described 
in subsection (a) may bring a civil action in a 
Federal court for appropriate relief. 
‘‘(B) APPROPRIATE RELIEF.—For the pur-
poses of this paragraph, appropriate relief in-
cludes— 
‘‘(i) a temporary or permanent injunc-
tion; and 
‘‘(ii) awarding a prevailing plaintiff— 
‘‘(I) compensatory damages; 
‘‘(II) reasonable court costs; and 
‘‘(III) reasonable attorney fees. 
‘‘(C) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.—A civil 
action under this paragraph may not be com-
menced later than 2 years after the cause of ac-
tion accrues. 
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‘‘(2) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a court’s 
non-default, final judgment in a civil action brought 
under paragraph (1) that a covered public institu-
tion is in violation of a requirement described in 
subsection (a), such covered public institution 
shall— 
‘‘(A) not later than 7 days after the date 
on which the court makes such a non-default, 
final judgment, notify the Secretary of such 
judgment and submit to the Secretary a copy of 
the non-default, final judgment; and 
‘‘(B) not later than 30 days after the date 
on which the court makes such a non-default, 
final judgment, submit to the Secretary a re-
port that— 
‘‘(i) certifies that the standard, policy, 
practice, or procedure that is in violation 
of the requirement described in subsection 
(a) is no longer in use; and 
‘‘(ii) provides evidence to support such 
certification. 
‘‘(3) REVOCATION
OF
ELIGIBILITY.—In the 
case of a covered public institution that does not no-
tify the Secretary as required under paragraph 
(2)(A) or submit the report required under para-
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graph (2)(B), the Secretary shall revoke the eligi-
bility of such institution to receive funds under this 
Act, including through participation in a program 
authorized under title IV, for each award year fol-
lowing the conclusion of the award year in which a 
court made a non-default, final judgment in a civil 
action brought under paragraph (1) that the institu-
tion is in violation of a requirement described in 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(4) RESTORATION OF ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A covered public insti-
tution that loses eligibility under paragraph (3) 
to receive funds under this Act may seek to re-
store such eligibility by submitting to the Sec-
retary the report described in paragraph (2)(B). 
‘‘(B) 
DETERMINATION
BY
THE
SEC-
RETARY.—Not later than 90 days after a cov-
ered public institution submits a report under 
subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall review 
such report and make a determination with re-
spect to whether such report contained suffi-
cient evidence to demonstrate that such institu-
tion is no longer in violation of a requirement 
described in subsection (a). 
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