I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2516 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit political litmus 
tests in accreditation of institutions of higher education, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 31, 2025 
Mr. OWENS (for himself, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. 
ROSE, Mr. BABIN, Mr. ONDER, Mr. MOORE of West Virginia, and Mr. 
MESSMER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit 
political litmus tests in accreditation of institutions of 
higher education, and for other purposes. 
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 title may be cited as the ‘‘Accreditation for Col-
lege Excellence Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON POLITICAL LITMUS TESTS IN AC-
CREDITATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER 
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 specific viewpoint or 
belief or set of viewpoints or be-
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liefs on social, cultural, or polit-
ical 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— 
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‘‘(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 
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