HRES947-119

In Committee

Expressing that compelled political litmus tests used by public institutions to require individuals to identify with specific ideological views are directly at odds with the principles of academic freedom and free speech and in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

119th Congress Introduced Dec 11, 2025

Legislative Progress

In Committee
Introduced Committee Passed
Dec 11, 2025

Mr. Murphy submitted the following resolution; which was referred to …

Summary

What This Bill Does
This House Resolution expresses the sense of Congress that public colleges and universities should not require students or faculty to sign DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) pledges or statements of political ideology as a condition of admission, hiring, or promotion. The resolution argues such requirements violate the First Amendment's free speech protections.

Who Benefits and How
Faculty members and prospective students who object to signing ideological statements would benefit from reduced pressure to express specific viewpoints to gain employment or admission. Conservative advocacy groups and organizations opposed to DEI requirements gain a congressional endorsement of their position. Academic freedom advocates benefit from an official statement supporting viewpoint neutrality in hiring and admissions.

Who Bears the Burden and How
Public universities with existing DEI statement requirements face implicit congressional criticism and potential pressure to change their policies. University administrators who implemented these policies may face increased scrutiny. DEI program advocates and diversity officers may find their institutional programs under greater political challenge.

Key Provisions
- Condemns public higher education institutions that require DEI pledges or ideological statements from students or faculty
- Discourages universities from requesting such pledges as conditions of admission, hiring, or promotion
- Frames these requirements as violations of the First Amendment and academic freedom principles
- Applies to statements regarding "diversity, equity, and inclusion, or related topics"
- Non-binding resolution expressing congressional sentiment without creating enforceable requirements

Model: claude-opus-4
Generated: Dec 27, 2025 17:38

Evidence Chain:

This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

Primary Purpose

A House Resolution condemning public colleges and universities that use DEI pledges or political ideology statements as conditions for admission, hiring, or faculty promotion, arguing such requirements violate First Amendment free speech protections.

Policy Domains

Education Higher Education Civil Liberties Free Speech

Legislative Strategy

"Express congressional disapproval of DEI-related requirements in higher education as First Amendment violations to influence institutional policies"

Likely Beneficiaries

  • Faculty members who oppose DEI requirements
  • Prospective students who object to ideological statements
  • Conservative advocacy groups

Likely Burden Bearers

  • Public universities with DEI policies
  • University administrators
  • DEI program advocates

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Education Civil Liberties
Actor Mappings
"the_house"
→ U.S. House of Representatives

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology