EO 14285 Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 3803

119th Congress

EO 14285 Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jun 6, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Mark DeSaulnier

Representative

Democratic

CA-10

Cosponsors

2

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Education

Summary

This bill would prohibit accrediting agencies from considering the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or racial composition of students, faculty, and staff when evaluating colleges and universities. It would also require accrediting agencies to assess whether public colleges are protecting free speech and academic freedom as required by the First Amendment.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

SponsorMark DeSaulnier (D-CA)

Introduced6/6/2025

StatusReferred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services,

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

EO 14285 Act of 2025

This bill would prohibit accrediting agencies from considering the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or racial composition of students, faculty, and staff when evaluating colleges and universities. It would also require accrediting agencies to assess w

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This bill would prohibit accrediting agencies from considering the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or racial composition of students, faculty, and staff when evaluating colleges and universities. It would also require accrediting agencies to assess whether public colleges are protecting free speech and academic freedom as required by the First Amendment.

Bill Number: 3803
Sponsor: Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
Introduced: 6/6/2025
Status: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services,
Policy Area: Education

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: EO 14285 Act of 2025
Bill Number: 3803
Sponsor: Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
Status: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services,
Introduced: 6/6/2025
Summary: This bill would prohibit accrediting agencies from considering the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or racial composition of students, faculty, and staff when evaluating colleges and universities. It would also require accrediting agencies to assess whether public colleges are protecting fr

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would prohibit accrediting agencies from considering the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or racial composition of students, faculty, and staff when evaluating colleges and universities. It would also require accrediting agencies to assess whether public colleges are protecting free speech and academic freedom as required by the First Amendment.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act This bill establishes additional requirements for an accrediting agency to be recognized by the Department of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education being offered at an institution of higher education (IHE). Specifically, the bill prohibits an accrediting agency from considering (1) the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies of an IHE; and (2) the racial composition of the accepted applicants, students, or the faculty or staff of an IHE. An IHE that is subject to a denial, withdrawal, or termination of accreditation as a result of an accrediting agency's violation of this prohibition may pursue a civil action. The bill also requires an accrediting agency to assess the IHE's success in ensuring a right of free inquiry (with an exception for religious IHEs). In the case of a public IHE that is legally required to abide by the First Amendment, the bill defines free inquiry as compliance with (1) the First Amendment, including protections for freedom of speech, association, press, religion, assembly, and petition; and (2) the IHE's own written policies regarding academic freedom. In the case of a private IHE, free inquiry refers to adherence to the IHE's written institutional policies concerning freedom of speech, association, press, religion, assembly, petition, and academic freedom.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Prohibits accrediting agencies from considering diversity, equity, and inclusion policies or racial composition when evaluating colleges
Requires accrediting agencies to assess whether public colleges are protecting free speech and academic freedom
Allows colleges that lose accreditation due to these new requirements to pursue legal action

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would primarily impact colleges and universities, as well as the accrediting agencies that evaluate them. It could lead to changes in how colleges approach diversity and inclusion efforts, and could result in some colleges losing their accreditation if they are found to not be protecting free speech and academic freedom.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Education

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

3803, 119th Congress (2025). "EO 14285 Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-3803

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