Kansas legislators are advancing a proposal aimed at protecting religious groups on public college campuses that want to restrict their memberships to people who share their beliefs.

The Senate approved the measure Thursday on a 30-8 vote. It goes next to the House.

The bill says that state universities, community colleges and technical colleges can’t refuse to recognize or deny campus resources to groups that limit membership based on their religious beliefs.

Supporters of the bill say it protects groups’ religious liberties.

But Equality Kansas Executive Director Tom Witt called the measure a license for college students to discriminate.

The measure is a response to a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision saying that universities could adopt anti-bias policies requiring religious groups to accept anyone who wants to join.