President Robert Matz
Hannibal, Mo. | Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) is asking the U.S. Department of Education to be excluded from a Biden-era regulation requiring schools co-sign financial responsibility agreements. Without a religious exemption from the Program Participation Agreements (PPAs), HLGU plans to file a lawsuit to safeguard its religious freedoms.
The unprecedented “co-signature mandate” interferes with the autonomy of religious institutions, forcing them either to assume unprecedented financial liabilities or else relinquish their right to appoint trustees according to their religious doctrines.
“Demanding that Missouri Baptist churches give up their religious rights or face financial ruin is contrary to the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” said Jon Whitehead, counsel for HLGU. “This regulation threatens the religious autonomy of Baptist, Catholic, and other denominational institutions, and undermines longstanding principles of nonprofit governance.”
Due to the Department’s refusal to process HLGU’s PPA amendment without MBC’s co-signature, HLGU has already lost access to over $500,000 in Prison Pell Grant funds for eligible students, with anticipated future losses estimated at approximately $250,000 per semester. Moreover, failure to secure a renewed PPA by 2026 would prevent HLGU from participating in Title IV programs entirely.
HLGU President Robert Matz said, “The Co-Signature Mandate is discriminatory and unconstitutional. We urge the Department to align its actions with recent Executive Orders prioritizing religious liberty and deregulation, protecting institutions like HLGU that play a vital role in their religious communities.”
— Originally published by the Missouri Pathway