Congress·In Committee·H.R. 2555

Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2025

Rep. Houchin Introduces Bill to Stop Colleges From Punishing Students in Fraternities and Sororities

12 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill was recently introduced and is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Education and Workforce. It is in the early stages of the lawmaking process and is considered active. There are no other scheduled actions at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill prevents colleges that receive federal funding from punishing students solely for joining a fraternity, sorority, or other single-sex social organization. Schools cannot expel, suspend, or sanction students based on the single-sex nature of their club.
Colleges cannot strip scholarships, deny campus housing, withhold letters of recommendation, or block leadership roles in other organizations because a student belongs to a single-sex group. Schools also cannot force students to reveal or certify their membership status.
From policy text
“An action to withhold, in whole or in part, any financial assistance (including scholarships and on-campus employment), or denying the opportunity to apply for financial assistance, a scholarship, a graduate fellowship, or on-campus employment”
View in full text
Schools cannot impose special recruitment restrictions on recognized single-sex organizations that do not apply to other student groups, unless the organization and school agree to them in writing.
From policy text
“impose a recruitment restriction (including a recruitment restriction relating to the schedule for membership recruitment) on a single-sex social organization recognized by the institution, which is not imposed upon other student organizations by the institution, unless the organization (or a council of similar organizations) and the institution have entered into a mutually agreed-upon written agreement”
View in full text
The bill does not require colleges to officially recognize any social organization, and schools can still discipline students for misconduct unrelated to the single-sex nature of their group.
Faculty members remain free to express opinions about single-sex organizations and to research or publish about them, preserving academic freedom alongside student association rights.
From policy text
“inhibit the ability of the faculty of an institution of higher education to express an opinion (either individually or collectively) about membership in a single-sex social organization, or otherwise inhibit the academic freedom of such faculty to research, write, or publish material about membership in such an organization”
View in full text

EducationCivil Rights

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 1, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Apr 1, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

1 article

Campus Reform·12 months ago

Bipartisan bill would protect women in college, keep men out of sororities

The proposed legislation would protect students in single-sex social organizations by ensuring they are treated without bias by university administrations and preventing schools from taking negative actions against them, such as denying housing or scholarships, based on their membership.

R+