Skip to main content
CivicGate

HR 5505
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

Equal Campus Access Act of 2026

H. R. 5505 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure campus access at public institutions of higher education for religious groups.

Introduced Sep 18, 2025

Latest action (Sep 16, 2026) Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 730.

Referred to
Education and Workforce Committee
Policy area
Education
Issues
Civil Rights
Legislative subjects (4)
Education programs fundingHigher educationReligionSchool administration

Summary
  • Prohibits public institutions of higher education from denying religious student organizations rights, benefits, or privileges available to other student organizations based on their religious beliefs, practices, speech, leadership standards, or standards of conduct.
  • Requires religious student organizations to receive full access to institution facilities and official recognition on equal terms with other student organizations.
  • Makes institutions ineligible to receive federal funding under the Higher Education Act if they violate these requirements.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
12 cosponsors

Actions (6)
  1. Sep 16, 2026 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 730. · house
  2. Sep 16, 2026 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-833. · house
  3. Jun 25, 2026 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 15. · house
  4. Jun 25, 2026 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
  5. Sep 18, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. · house
  6. Sep 18, 2025 Introduced in House

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 8476 — No Antisemitism in Education Act of 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 5304 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 4795 — Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 9203 — Student Protection and University Accountability Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 8595 — Making appropriations for national security, Department of State, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes. (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 8210 — A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 5658 — Child Care for Every Community Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 7006 — Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • S 2859 — Equal Campus Access Act of 2025 · Introduced Mar 19, 2026 · Cong. 119 92%
  • HR 2809 — Fair College Admissions for Students Act · Introduced Apr 10, 2025 · Cong. 119 72%
  • HR 632 — Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2025 · Introduced Jan 22, 2025 · Cong. 119 71%
  • HR 3543 — College for All Act of 2025 · Introduced May 21, 2025 · Cong. 119 70%
  • S 163 — Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025 · Introduced Apr 30, 2025 · Cong. 119 69%
  • HR 2555 — Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2026 · Introduced Aug 27, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%

Text versions (2)
  • Reported in House · Sep 16, 2026
  • Introduced in House · Sep 18, 2025

Committee action

What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.

  • Amendment MCBATH_AMD_01 (Mcbath)failed15–18
    Education and Workforce CommitteeJun 25, 2026amendment▶ watch

    As published:Roll Call Vote #8 | H.R. 5505 | MCBATH_AMD_01 (MCBATH) | Failed (15y-18n)

  • Motion to Report as Amendedagreed18–15
    Education and Workforce CommitteeJun 25, 2026report measure▶ watch

    As published:Roll Call Vote #9 | H.R. 5505 | Motion to Report as Amended | Passed (18y-15n)

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 18, 2025

Mr. Walberg (for himself, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Ms. Hageman, Mr. Moran, Mr. Aderholt, and Mr. Onder) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce

September 16, 2026

Additional sponsors: Ms. Letlow, Mr. Harris of North Carolina, Mr. Messmer, Mrs. Houchin, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Bost, and Mr. Clyde

September 16, 2026

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 18, 2025]

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure campus access at public institutions of higher education for religious groups.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Equal Campus Access Act of 2026”.

SEC. 2. CAMPUS ACCESS FOR RELIGIOUS STUDENT GROUPS.

Part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“SEC. 124. CAMPUS ACCESS FOR RELIGIOUS STUDENT GROUPS.

“None of the funds made available under this Act may be provided to any public institution of higher education that denies to a religious student organization any right, benefit, or privilege that is otherwise afforded to other student organizations at the institution (including full access to the facilities of the institution and official recognition of the organization by the institution) because of the religious beliefs, practices, speech, leadership standards, or standards of conduct of the religious student organization.”. Union Calendar No. 730

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5505

[Report No. 119-833]

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure campus access at public institutions of higher education for religious groups.

September 16, 2026

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Comments

Comments

Loading comments…