We need more leaders at the state and national level to defend liberty like this.

The FIRE blog reports.

Kansas Governor Signs Bill Protecting Students’ Religious Liberty

On Tuesday, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed into law a bill that will protect religious student organizations’ ability to limit membership and leadership roles to students who adhere to the central tenets of the organizations’ faith. The bill, SB 175, prevents public institutions of higher education in the state from withholding funding or other benefits to religious student groups that require their leaders or members to adhere to and comply with the organization’s sincerely held beliefs.

The new law states, in pertinent part:

No postsecondary educational institution may take any action or enforce any policy that would deny a religious student association any benefit available to any other student association, or discriminate against a religious student association with respect to such benefit, based on such association’s requirement that the leaders or members of such association:

(a) Adhere to the association’s sincerely held religious beliefs;

(b) comply with the association’s sincerely held religious beliefs;

(c) comply with the association’s sincere religious standards of conduct; or

(d) be committed to furthering the association’s religious missions, as such religious beliefs, observance requirements, standards of conduct or missions are defined by the religious student association, or the religion on which the association is based.