The first section of this Act states that it can be referred to as the “Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act”.

The section outlines Congress's viewpoint that colleges should support free speech by adopting principles like the Chicago Principles, and discourages political pledges or statements as conditions for admission or employment. It clarifies that nothing in certain sections should affect protections under the Civil Rights Act and defines a "covered public institution" as a public college involved in specific federal programs.

Congress emphasizes the importance of free speech and open discussion in higher education by recommending adoption of the Chicago Principles, criticizes colleges for requiring political pledges for admissions or hiring, and clarifies that this section should not affect civil rights protections. It also defines "covered public institution" as state universities involved in federal education programs.

The section requires colleges and universities to share their free speech, association, and religion policies with students and staff every year in order to qualify for federal funding. These disclosures include policies about when, where, and how speech can happen on campus, and the right to take legal action if the institution is public.

Institutions of higher education must report their policies on free speech, association, and religion to be eligible for federal financial aid programs. They must also inform students and faculty that these policies are designed for their benefit, and public institutions must disclose the right to legal action if policies are violated.

The section of the bill focuses on protecting students' rights to freedom of association and religion in higher education institutions. It outlines specific requirements ensuring student organizations are not unfairly denied recognition or funding based on their content or viewpoints, provides a fair appeal process for denied recognitions and allocations, establishes guidelines for assessing security fees, and ensures equal access to campus resources for religious and single-sex organizations while preventing retaliation against members of these groups.

This section outlines protections for students' freedom of association and religion at public institutions. It ensures that student organizations, including religious and single-sex organizations, receive equal access to recognition and funding, and specifies that institutions cannot discriminate against these organizations based on their beliefs or membership criteria. Additionally, the section requires transparent and neutral criteria for security fees and event safety, and includes provisions against retaliation for students in single-sex social organizations.

The section addresses free speech on college campuses by requiring public colleges to educate students about their First Amendment rights during orientations and maintain accessible free speech policies on their websites. It also ensures that these institutions cannot impose political tests during admissions or employment and highlights the need for expression-related policies to respect lawful and non-commercial activities, providing guidelines for when and how restrictions can be applied.

The text outlines rules for public colleges and universities to support free speech on campus, explaining students' First Amendment rights and banning discrimination based on political beliefs. It requires schools to provide information and programming about these rights, regulates how expressive activities can occur, and prohibits the use of political beliefs in admissions and hiring, with certain exceptions for military academies and compliance with anti-discrimination laws.

The section outlines new rules under the Higher Education Act of 1965 for public institutions. If these institutions violate certain requirements, they might lose their eligibility to participate in federal programs, face lawsuits, or have to pay damages. The section also describes how institutions can regain their eligibility and the requirements for reporting violations and judgments to the government.

This section outlines the process for enforcing requirements related to covered public institutions. It allows individuals or organizations to sue in federal court if harmed by a policy that violates these requirements, provides guidelines for notifying and reporting to the Secretary following a court's final judgment, details consequences for institutions that fail to comply, and underscores conditions regarding sovereign immunity if federal funding is received.