A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced legislation to ban legacy admissions, positioning the measure as a response to persistent admissions inequity amid legal constraints on race-conscious review. The proposal, the Merit-Based Educational Reforms and Institutional Transparency Act, would tie accreditation to admissions policies that do not use alumni or donor relationships as determinative factors. The bill’s sponsors include Republicans Todd Young, Tim Scott, and John Kennedy, and Democrats Tim Kaine, Raphael Warnock, and Andy Kim. They said it advances opportunity and reduces unmerited advantage. Senators also included language to preserve consideration of “demonstrated interest,” but would require that such criteria be clearly defined, publicly available, and accessible to all applicants. The bill also includes accommodations for religious colleges’ faith-based decision-making.