118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3724 
AN ACT 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit 
recognized accrediting agencies and associations from re-
quiring, encouraging, or coercing institutions of higher 
education to meet any political litmus test or violate 
any right protected by the Constitution as a condition 
of accreditation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘End Woke Higher Education Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—ACCREDITATION FOR COLLEGE EXCELLENCE 
Sec. 101. Short title. 
Sec. 102. Prohibition on political litmus tests in accreditation of institutions of 
higher education. 
Sec. 103. Rule of construction. 
TITLE II—RESPECTING THE FIRST AMENDMENT ON CAMPUS 
Sec. 201. Short title. 
Sec. 202. Sense of Congress. 
Sec. 203. Disclosure of free speech policies. 
Sec. 204. Freedom of association and religion. 
Sec. 205. Free speech on campus. 
Sec. 206. Enforcement. 
Sec. 207. Sense of Congress relating to acts of violence on campus. 
TITLE I—ACCREDITATION FOR 
COLLEGE EXCELLENCE 
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Accreditation for Col-
lege Excellence Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 102. PROHIBITION ON POLITICAL LITMUS TESTS IN 
ACCREDITATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGH-
ER EDUCATION. 
(a) OPERATING PROCEDURES REQUIRED.—Section 
496(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1099b(c)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(8); 
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(10) confirms that the standards for accredita-
tion of the agency or association do not— 
‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B)— 
‘‘(i) require, encourage, or coerce any 
institution to— 
‘‘(I) support, oppose, or commit 
to supporting or opposing— 
‘‘(aa) a specific partisan, po-
litical, or ideological viewpoint or 
belief or set of such viewpoints or 
beliefs; or 
‘‘(bb) a a specific viewpoint 
or belief or set of viewpoints or 
beliefs on social, cultural, or po-
litical issues; or 
‘‘(II) support or commit to sup-
porting the disparate treatment of any 
individual or group of individuals on 
the basis of any protected class under
Federal civil rights law, except as re-
quired by Federal law or a court 
order; or 
‘‘(ii) assess an institution’s or pro-
gram of study’s commitment to any ide-
ology, belief, or viewpoint; 
‘‘(B) prohibit an institution— 
‘‘(i) from having a religious mission, 
operating as a religious institution, or 
being controlled by a religious organization 
(in a manner described in paragraph (1), 
(2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of section 
106.12(c) of title 34, Code of Federal Reg-
ulations (as in effect on the date of the en-
actment of this paragraph)), or from re-
quiring an applicant, student, employee, or 
independent contractor (such as an adjunct 
professor) of such an institution to— 
‘‘(I) provide or adhere to a state-
ment of faith; or 
‘‘(II) adhere to a code of conduct 
consistent with the stated religious 
mission of such institution or the reli-
gious tenets of such organization; or
‘‘(ii) from requiring an applicant, stu-
dent, employee, or contractor to take an 
oath to uphold the Constitution of the 
United States; or 
‘‘(C) require, encourage, or coerce an insti-
tution of higher education to violate any right 
protected by the Constitution.’’. 
(b) LIMITATION ON SCOPE OF CRITERIA.—Section 
496(g) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1099b(g)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) LIMITATION ON SCOPE OF CRITERIA.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall not es-
tablish criteria for accrediting agencies or associa-
tions that are not required by this section. 
‘‘(2) INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY.—An institu-
tion of higher education shall be eligible for partici-
pation in programs under this title if the institution 
is in compliance with the standards of its accrediting 
agency or association that assess the institution in 
accordance with subsection (a)(5), regardless of any 
additional standards adopted by the agency or asso-
ciation for purposes unrelated to participation in 
programs under this title.’’.
SEC. 103. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this title prevents religious accreditors 
from holding and enforcing religious standards on institu-
tions they choose to accredit. 
TITLE II—RESPECTING THE 
FIRST AMENDMENT ON CAMPUS 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Respecting the First 
Amendment on Campus Act’’. 
SEC. 202. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
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: 
‘‘SEC. 112A. SENSE OF CONGRESS; CONSTRUCTION; DEFINI-
TION. 
‘‘(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.— 
‘‘(1) ADOPTION OF CHICAGO PRINCIPLES.—The 
Congress— 
‘‘(A) recognizes that free expression, open 
inquiry, and the honest exchange of ideas are 
fundamental to higher education; 
‘‘(B) acknowledges the profound contribu-
tion of the Chicago Principles to the freedom of 
speech and expression; and 
‘‘(C) calls on nonsectarian institutions of 
higher education to adopt the Chicago Prin-