Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is pushing new legislation to block accreditors from imposing diversity quotas on colleges, framing the measure as a defense of free speech, academic freedom, and President Donald Trump’s executive order on higher education, Breitbart reported.

The House Republican Conference chair introduced the “Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act” on Wednesday, a bill designed to prevent accrediting bodies from pressuring colleges to adopt race- or sex-based quotas. Instead, it would require accreditors to prioritize institutions’ commitments to free expression and academic independence.

The proposal mirrors legislation introduced in May by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and would codify Trump’s April executive order titled “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education.” That order criticized accrediting agencies for embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion standards into their requirements, arguing that such practices were discriminatory.

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