This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to strengthen free speech, association, and religious liberty protections on college campuses. It requires colleges receiving federal funding to publicly disclose their speech, association, and religious freedom policies, and calls on schools to adopt "Chicago Principles" supporting open expression while discouraging political litmus tests like diversity statements in admissions or hiring. Public colleges face additional requirements, including protecting student organizations from being denied recognition or funding based on viewpoint, ensuring fair treatment of single-sex fraternities and sororities, guaranteeing access to outdoor campus areas for protests and speech, and providing free speech education during student orientation. The bill primarily affects public colleges and universities participating in federal student aid programs, along with their students, faculty, and student organizations; private institutions face lighter requirements focused mainly on disclosure and single-sex organization protections. Enforcement includes a new legal right for students, faculty, or organizations to sue public institutions that violate these rules, with courts able to award damages and attorney's fees, and schools that lose lawsuits and fail to fix violations risk losing eligibility for federal financial aid programs for at least one academic year.
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