A bill targeting California's religious colleges was effectively declawed on Wednesday, after sustained vocal opposition from legal scholars, lawmakers, faith leaders, and university presidents.

The bill, SB 1146, originally included a provision that would subject religious colleges and universities to costly litigation on the grounds of their Title IX exemption. Now, with that provision removed by Sen. Richard Lara, the state senator who authored the measure, the bill is much less threatening—although the requirement that these schools publicize their Title IX exemption remains.

According to the Sacramento Bee's report:

Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, removed the provision that would have allowed students to sue if they felt they had been discriminated against. Now the bill requires the schools to publicly disclose their exempt status from non-discrimination laws so prospective students are aware of the rules. The amended bill also requires colleges to notify the state Student Aid Commission, which oversees Cal Grants, each time a student is expelled for violating a school's moral code of conduct. "With SB 1146, we shed light on the appalling discriminatory practices LGBT students face at private religious universities in California," Lara said in a statement. "These provisions represent critical first steps in the ongoing efforts to protect students from discrimination for living their truths or loving openly."​​ The schools have said they are not opposed to the new provisions of the bill, and religious groups cheered the decision. "Without a doubt, the unmodified version would have jeopardized Christian institutions and egregiously penalized all students of faith, especially Latino and African-American individuals," the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference said in a statement.

National Review's David French, a prominent defender of religious freedom, signed a multi-faith letter to the California assembly opposing the bill. On Wednesday, before Lara removed the most threatening provision, he wrote: "To California legislators, some students are more equal than others. Those who have state-approved beliefs can use the force of law to try to bring Christians institutions to their knees. Those who follow Christ, by contrast, are reviled, their rights circumscribed day by day."