Mississippi Bill Regarding College Student Organizations (HB 851)

HB 851 would prohibit state institutions of higher learning and the community and junior colleges from denying recognition, privileges or benefits to a student organization on the basis of religious content of the organization’s speech or the manner in which the organization determines its organizational affairs.

The bill would allow religious student organization to determine that the following activities are in furtherance of the organization’s religious mission and that only persons committed to that mission  should conduct such activities:

• Ordering the organization’s internal affairs;
• Selecting the organization’s leaders and members;
• Defining the organization’s doctrines; and
• Resolving the organization’s conflicts.

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