MELISSA HELLMANN, Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have approved a long-delayed proposal allowing faith-based groups on college campuses to restrict their membership to like-minded people.

The Republican-controlled House voted 81-41 on Wednesday to send the bill to Gov. Sam Brownback, a strong supporter of religious rights. The conservative Republican hasn’t said whether he’ll sign the bill.

Supporters say it’s a victory for the freedom to exercise religious beliefs, but opponents say it’s a veiled attempt to legalize discrimination.

The bill stems from a handful of on-campus incidents, including a lawsuit filed by a Christian group after Washburn University said the group couldn’t require that student members recognize the Bible, not the Book of Mormon, as the word of God. The issue emerged after a Mormon student was forbidden from leading the group’s Bible study.