IB 
Union Calendar No. 380 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2516 
[Report No. 119–444] 
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 
JANUARY 13, 2026 
Additional sponsors: Mr. FINSTAD, Mr. STEUBE, Mr. FINE, and Mr. GUTHRIE 
JANUARY 13, 2026 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 31, 2025] 
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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. 
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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 ‘‘Accreditation for College 
Excellence Act of 2025’’. 
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) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(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— 
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‘‘(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-
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 program 
of study’s commitment to any ideology, be-
lief, 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 Regulations (as 
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in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
paragraph)), or from requiring an appli-
cant, student, employee, or independent con-
tractor (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 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099b) is 
further amended by amending subsection (g) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(g) LIMITATION ON SCOPE OF CRITERIA.— 
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‘‘(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 that is in compliance with the standards of its 
accrediting agency or association that assess the insti-
tution in accordance with subsection (a)(5) shall meet 
the accreditation requirements for certification as an 
institution of higher education under section 102 and 
subpart 3 of this part, regardless of any additional 
standards adopted by the agency or association for 
purposes unrelated to participation in programs 
under this Act.’’. 
SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this 
Act, shall be construed to prevent religious accreditors from 
holding and enforcing religious standards on institutions 
they choose to accredit. 
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Union Calendar No. 380 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2516 
[Report No. 119–444] 
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. 
JANUARY 13, 2026 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:06 Jan 14, 2026
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PO 00000
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