,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #chj #aaith  
,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #beaf
 ,report ,no4 #aai-ddd ,,in ,,the       
,,house ,,of ,,representatives  ,march  
#ca1 #bjbe,mr4 ,owens 7for himself1 ,ms4
 ,tenney1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,grothman1 
,mr4 ,rose1 ,mr4 ,babin1 ,mr4 ,onder1   
,mr4 ,moore of ,west ,virginia1 and ,mr4
 ,messmer7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,education and ,workforce 
,january #ac1 #bjbf;,additional         
sponsors3 ,mr4 ,finstad1 ,mr4 ,steube1  
,mr4 ,fine1 and ,mr4 ,guthrie  ,january 
#ac1 #bjbf,reported with an amendment1  
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union1 and ordered to be printed,strike
 out all after the enacting clause and  
insert the part printed in italic,for   
text of introduced bill1 see copy of    
bill as introduced on ,march #ca1 #bjbe 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,higher        
,education ,act of #aife to prohibit    
political litmus tests in accreditation 

of institutions of higher education1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,accreditation for ,college ,excellence 
,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,prohibition on     
political litmus tests in accreditation 
of institutions of higher education  7a7
 ,operating procedures required ,section
 #dif7;c7 of the ,higher ,education ,act
 of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajii;b7c77 is 
amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#h71 by    
striking and at the end2  7#b7 in       
paragraph 7#i71 by striking the period  
at the end and inserting 2 and2 and     
7#c7 by adding at the end the following3
  7#aj7 confirms that the standards for 
accreditation of the agency or          
association do not-- 7,a7 except as     
provided in subparagraph 7,b7-- 7i7     
require1 encourage1 or coerce any       
institution to-- 7,i7 support1 oppose1  
or commit to supporting or opposing--   
7aa7 a specific partisan1 political1 or 
ideological viewpoint or belief or set  
of such viewpoints or beliefs2 or  7bb7 

a specific viewpoint or belief or set of
 viewpoints or beliefs on social1       
cultural1 or political issues2 or       
7,,ii7 support or commit to supporting  
the disparate treatment of any          
individual or group of individuals on   
the basis of any protected class under  
,federal civil rights law1 except as    
required by ,federal law or a court     
order2 or  7ii7 assess an institution's 
or program of study's commitment to any 
ideology1 belief1 or viewpoint2  7,b7   
prohibit an institution-- 7i7 from      
having a religious mission1 operating as
 a religious institution1 or being      
controlled by a religious organization  
7in a manner described in paragraph     
7#a71 7#b71 7#c71 7#d71 7#e71 or 7#f7 of
 section #ajf4ab7;c7 of title #cd1 ,code
 of ,federal ,regulations 7as in effect 
on the date of the enactment of this    
paragraph771 or from requiring an       
applicant1 student1 employee1 or        
independent contractor 7such as an      
adjunct professor7 of such an           

institution to-- 7,i7 provide or adhere 
to a statement of faith2 or  7,,ii7     
adhere to a code of conduct consistent  
with the stated religious mission of    
such institution or the religious tenets
 of such organization2 or  7ii7 from    
requiring an applicant1 student1        
employee1 or contractor to take an oath 
to uphold the ,constitution of the      
,united ,states2 or  7,c7 require1      
encourage1 or coerce an institution of  
higher education to violate any right   
protected by the ,constitution4  4  7b7 
,limitation on scope of criteria        
,section #dif of the ,higher ,education 
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajii;b7 is
 further amended by amending subsection 
7g7 to read as follows3  7g7 ,limitation
 on scope of criteria  7#a7 ,in general 
,the ,secretary shall not establish     
criteria for accrediting agencies or    
associations that are not required by   
this section4  7#b7 ,institutional      
eligibility ,an institution that is in  
compliance with the standards of its    

accrediting agency or association that  
assess the institution in accordance    
with subsection 7a77#e7 shall meet the  
accreditation requirements for          
certification as an institution of      
higher education under section #ajb and 
subpart #c of this part1 regardless of  
any additional standards adopted by the 
agency or association for purposes      
unrelated to participation in programs  
under this ,act4  4  #c4 ,rule of       
construction ,nothing in this ,act1 or  
the amendments made by this ,act1 shall 
be construed to prevent religious       
accreditors from holding and enforcing  
religious standards on institutions they
 choose to accredit4  ,january #ac1     
#bjbf,reported with an amendment1       
committed to the ,committee of the      
,whole ,house on the ,state of the      
,union1 and ordered to be printed