Government Relations

As the leading advocate for the sorority experience, the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) also leads the sorority community’s engagement with local, state and national lawmakers. In addition to monitoring national issues and legislation that affects fraternal organizations, NPC encourages broad civic engagement among its members.

When setting legislative and policy priorities, NPC focuses on three central areas:

• Preservation of the sorority experience.
• Promotion of college affordability.
• Advancement of student and campus safety.

Together, these three pillars support the long-term health of the sorority experience, while also providing critical support for collegiate members.

Current legislative priorities for NPC include:

• Pursuing federal legislation to protect students’ freedom of association rights. NPC and its member organizations support the passage of the Collegiate Freedom of Association Act (CFAA) which was introduced with bipartisan support in the 116^th Congress and folded into the College Affordability Act. CFAA would prevent college/university administrators from taking adverse action, including system-wide suspensions without appropriate due process, specifically against single-sex organizations.
• Advocating for the passage of federal legislation that would strengthen anti-hazing education, transparency about hazing incidents and accountability for those who haze. NPC supports two pieces of legislation reintroduced with bipartisan support in the 117th Congress. The Report and Educate About Campus Hazing (REACH) Act would require colleges and universities to disclose information about hazing on campus in their annual crime reports. Plus, it would expand hazing prevention education to all students. The Educational Notification and Disclosure of Actions risking Loss of Life (END ALL) Hazing Act will help foster the eradication of hazing at colleges and universities by ensuring campus-wide transparency and accountability in all student organizations.
• Advocating for the passage of state-level legislation that would strengthen anti-hazing efforts. NPC continues to work with concerned citizens and lawmakers to advocate for and support state-level anti-hazing legislation to ensure similar education, transparency and accountability goals as the federal legislation. We have had success in Louisiana, Ohio and Texas, and we are working with lawmakers in states including Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi and New Hampshire.

Fraternities and sororities are the second largest provider of college student housing, yet donations toward building and maintaining these properties are restricted from receiving full tax deductions. This is why NPC is a long-standing supporter of the Collegiate Housing Infrastructure Act (CHIA), which we hope will be reintroduced in the 117^th Congress with bicameral, bipartisan support. CHIA would allow nonprofit student housing entities to use charitable contributions to build and maintain safe, secure and affordable student housing.