H.R. 5505 · Where this bill is now
Waiting for a House vote
Approved by committee Sep 16, 2026; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryProtects religious student groups on campuses
This bill says that public colleges and universities can't lose federal education funding if they treat religious student organizations the same as other student groups. It prevents schools from denying religious organizations any rights, benefits, or privileges—like funding, meeting space, or leadership roles—just because of their religious beliefs, practices, or conduct standards.
How it affects you
If you're part of a religious student organization at a public college, this means your group should have equal access to the same resources and opportunities as other student clubs. College administrators would need to be careful about how they apply rules to religious groups, since their school's federal funding could be at stake if they treat religious organizations differently.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Sep 18, 2025)
Equal Campus Access Act of 2025
This bill prohibits funding made available under the Higher Education Act of 1965 from being provided to any public institution of higher education (IHE) that denies certain campus rights to religious student organizations.
Specifically, the bill prohibits a public IHE from receiving these funds if it denies a religious student organization any right, benefit, or privilege that is otherwise afforded to other student organizations at the IHE because of the religious student organization's beliefs, practices, speech, leadership standards, or standards of conduct.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 5505
A BILL
Equal Campus Access Act of 2026
Sponsor: Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI-5) · Introduced Sep 18, 2025 · Education · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 16, 2026: “Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 730.”