Heritage Foundation Unveils Template Legislation to Reshape State Higher Ed Policy

The Heritage Foundation released a sweeping model state bill intended to help state lawmakers codify principles from the Trump administration’s higher education compact. The company would require public colleges to maintain institutional neutrality, prohibit DEI offices and race-based preferences in scholarships, mandate free-expression training for new students, and give governing boards or state regulators greater authority over general education courses and faculty hiring. Although the proposal is not itself legislation, the conservative think tank designed it as a template that state lawmakers could adopt or modify, potentially making it a roadmap for future state-level higher education policy proposals.