The US Protest Law Tracker follows state and federal legislation introduced since January 2017 that restricts the right to peaceful assembly. For more information, visit our Analysis of US Anti-Protest Bills page.
Latest updates: May. 16, 2025 (Texas), May. 12, 2025 (Oklahoma, Tennessee), May. 9, 2025 (Arizona, New Jersey, North Carolina)
9 entries matching in provided filters in 3 states and 1 federal. Clear all filters
US Federal
HR 2272: Blocking financial aid to students who commit a "riot"-related offense
Would bar federal financial assistance and loan forgiveness for any student convicted of a crime in connection with a “riot.” The bar would apply to students convicted of “rioting” or “a) inciting a riot; b) organizing, promoting, encouraging, participating in, or carrying on a riot; c) committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or d) aiding or abetting any person in inciting or participating in or carrying on a riot or committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot.” Many states define “riot” broadly enough to cover peaceful protest activity; many also have broad laws criminalizing “incitement to riot” that cover protected expression. The bill would bar financial aid and loan forgiveness for students convicted under such provisions. As written, the bill would also bar financial aid and loan forgiveness to students convicted of any offense related to “organizing, promoting, encouraging” a riot, or “aiding and abetting” incitement or participation in a riot, which could cover an even wider range of expressive conduct, from sharing a social media post to cheering on demonstrators in a protest that was deemed a “riot.”
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 21 Mar 2025.
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Riot, Limit on Public Benefits
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US Federal
HR 2273: Providing for visa revocation and deportation of noncitizens who commit a "riot"-related offense
Would require the Secretary of State to revoke the visa of and make deportable a noncitizen student, scholar, teacher, or specialist convicted of a crime in connection with a “riot.” Under the bill, individuals in the US on an F-1, J-1, or M-1 visa would have their visas revoked and would be deportable if they were convicted of “rioting” or “a) inciting a riot; b) organizing, promoting, encouraging, participating in, or carrying on a riot; c) committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or d) aiding or abetting any person in inciting or participating in or carrying on a riot or committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot.” Many states define “riot” broadly enough to cover peaceful protest activity; many also have broad laws criminalizing “incitement to riot” that cover protected expression. The bill would provide for the deportation of foreign students, scholars, and others convicted under such provisions. As written, the bill would also provide for their deportation if convicted of any offense related to “organizing, promoting, encouraging” a riot, or “aiding and abetting” incitement or participation in a riot, which could cover an even wider range of expressive conduct, from sharing a social media post to cheering on demonstrators in a protest that was deemed a “riot.”
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 21 Mar 2025.
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Riot
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US Federal
S 982: Potential penalties for universities based on protest policies
Would make federal accreditation of colleges and universities—and thus their access to federal funds—contingent on the institution’s policies on responding to protests. Under the “No Tax Dollars for College Encampments Act of 2024,” universities would have to regularly disclose how they respond to campus “incidents of civil disturbance,” defined to include “a demonstration, riot, or strike,” and their accreditation would be linked to such policies and practices. The bill sponsor cited pro-Palestine campus protests as motivation for the bill; he introduced the same bill in 2024.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 12 Mar 2025.
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Riot
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US Federal
S 937: Barring student protesters from federal loans and loan forgiveness
Would exclude student protesters from federal financial aid and loan forgiveness if they commit any crime at a campus protest. The bill would cover someone convicted of “any offense” under “any Federal or State law” that is “related to the individual’s conduct at and during the course of a protest” at a college or university. As such, a student convicted of even a nonviolent, state law misdemeanor at a campus protest, such as failing to disperse, would be deemed ineligible for federal student loans; they would also be ineligible for having existing federal loans forgiven, cancelled, waived or modified. The sponsor of the bill said it was a response to pro-Palestine protests at colleges and universities.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 11 Mar 2025.
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Limit on Public Benefits
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Arizona
HB 2880: Banning protest encampments on campus
Bars protest encampments on the campuses of state colleges and universities. Under the new law, individuals or groups that establish an “encampment” are no longer lawfully present on campus for the purpose of speech protections under Arizona law; they are criminally liable to prosecution for trespass; and they are liable for any damage they cause, including the "direct and indirect costs" of removing the encampment and "restoring" campus. The new law defines “encampment” as “temporary shelter” installed on campus and used to stay overnight or “for a prolonged period of time.” The law requires colleges and universities to order individuals to dismantle and vacate any encampment; if the individuals refuse to comply, the institution is required to take disciplinary action and report the individuals to local law enforcement for trespassing. The sponsor of the new law said that it was motivated by pro-Palestine protests on college campuses.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: enacted
Introduced 12 Feb 2025; Approved by House 3 March 2025; Approved by Senate 30 April 2025; Signed by Governor Hobbs 7 May 2025
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Trespass, Camping
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Georgia
HB 602: Stripping financial aid from student protesters
Would bar state financial aid from college and university students who violate campus rules or are convicted of a crime related to a “disruptive” protest on campus. Under the bill, a student who is convicted of a crime or is determined to have violated their school’s code of conduct as a result of engaging in “materially and substantially disruptive conduct” on campus, would be immediately denied state funds for loans, grants, and scholarships. The bill defines “materially and substantially disruptive conduct” broadly to include conduct that would “hinder” another person’s expressive activity or prevent a “lawful meeting” or “gathering,” including by creating “loud or sustained noise,” “occupying or materially disrupting” access to campus facilities, or merely violating campus “time, place, and manner” rules for protests. As such, for instance, a student who was disciplined for participating in a noisy protest outside of a speaking event in violation of campus rules could have their state financial aid revoked. The threat of losing financial aid could have a broader chilling effect on campus protests.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 24 Feb 2025.
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Georgia
SB 339: Mandatory sanctions for campus protesters
**Note: SB 339 was signed into law following amendments that removed the most restrictive provisions.** As originally introduced, Senate Bill 339 would have created mandatory disciplinary sanctions that could be applied to peaceful protesters on college and university campuses. The introduced bill required public universities and community colleges to adopt a policy prohibiting and subjecting to sanction individuals involved in "protests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity" on campus. Additionally, the introduced bill required administrators to suspend for at least one year or expel any student who was twice "found responsible for infringing on the expressive rights of others," such as through a protest of a campus speaker. Amendments to the bill removed the provisions related to specific sanctions, prior to the bill's passage by the Senate.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: enacted with improvements
Introduced 19 Jan 2018; Governor Deal signed it 8 May 2018
Issue(s): Campus Protests
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Texas
SB 2972: New restrictions on campus protests
Would force public colleges and universities to adopt new limitations on campus protests that among other things would ban protest encampments and limit protesters’ ability to wear a mask. Under the bill, public colleges and universities would have to enact policies that a) prohibit using sound amplification as part of any campus protest during class hours; b) prohibit any protest or other “expressive activities” between 10pm and 8am, or any time during the last two weeks of a school semester; c) prohibit erecting tents or otherwise “camping” on campus; and d) prohibit wearing masks while protesting with certain intent, including intent to “obstruct the enforcement of the institution’s rules or the law by avoiding identification.” The mandatory policy would also require students and employees to comply with any request by campus law enforcement to present proof of their identity if asked for any reason. The bill would require schools to create disciplinary sanctions for students or employees who violate the protest policy.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 14 Mar 2025; Approved by Senate 14 May 2025
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Face Covering, Camping
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Texas
HB 3061: Heightened penalties for masked protesters
Would increase the penalty for protest-related offenses if committed by someone wearing a mask or other disguise to conceal their identity while “congregating with other individuals who were disguised or masked.” Under the bill, the penalty for trespass, “disorderly conduct,” and “riot” would be one degree more severe if committed by a group in which some individuals wore masks. The bill provides an exemption to the penalty enhancement for masks worn during Halloween, a masquerade ball, or “similar celebration,” but not for avoiding retaliation for political speech. “Disorderly conduct” and “riot” are broadly defined under Texas law. Protesters who make “unreasonable noise” in public, for instance, may be charged with “disorderly conduct”; under the bill, such protesters could face significant jail time rather than a fine if they were masked. “Trespass” in Texas also carries significant penalties if committed on college campuses, "critical infrastructure," or other select locations, such that peaceful protesters who trespassed on a college campus could face felony rather than misdemeanor penalties if they were masked to avoid retaliation.
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See full text of bill here)
Status: pending
Introduced 19 Feb 2025.
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Face Covering, Infrastructure, Riot, Trespass
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