On this page, you'll find proposals that seek to improve institutional quality and/or look to hold institutions or individuals responsible for their actions or performance. In addition, this page includes legislation regarding accreditation and matters related to the Department of Education, including structure and regulatory activity.
Sponsor: Sen. Rounds [R-SD]
Introduced: 11/21/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would abolish the Department of Education, transferring its programs to other federal agencies, such as the Departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services, and the Interior. It establishes block grants for states to manage elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education funding, with requirements for compliance and accountability. Federal civil rights laws related to education would be enforced by the Department of Justice. This bill aims to decentralize federal education responsibilities to states and other agencies.
Sponsor: Sen. Tillis [R-NC]
Introduced: 05/09/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would prohibit individuals convicted of any offense under state or federal law related to participation in campus-based protest from receiving federal student financial assistance. Participant activity must involve unlawful assembly, rioting, trespassing, or property damage on the identified campus.
Sponsor: Sen. Vance [R-OH]
Introduced: 05/09/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would prohibit institutions of higher education that fail to disperse permanent encampments from receiving federal funding. The bill defines an encampment as an establishment of tents, shacks, or other structures containing personal belongings on the institution’s campus with the intent of temporary or permanent habitability. Occupants need not be affiliated with the institution. However, institutions will be ineligible for Title IV programs should they fail to remove encampments obstructing student access and core institutional functioning. The Department of Education (ED) will continue to receive and process FAFSA applications for current and returning students at disqualified schools, However, those institutions will be subject to an excise tax equal to 50 percent of the aggregate fair market value of the assets held at the end of the preceding taxable year. Institutions may reapply for federal funding after five years of declared ineligibility to be considered by ED.
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy [R-LA]
Introduced: 04/11/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would amend the HEA and prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving federal financial assistance and participating in federal student loan programs if they adopt certain policies relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill would allow certain exemptions and protections, such as allowing medical schools to provide instruction on unique medical needs related to a student’s sex, race, or other characteristics.
Sponsor: Rep. Porter [D-CA]
Introduced: 04/05/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would change how cohort default rates are determined. For fiscal year 2023 and every following fiscal year, students in nonmandatory forbearance for 18-36 months are not counted as entering repayment for the respective fiscal year. Students will be counted as entering repayment for the first fiscal year they are no longer in forbearance and meet repayment requirements. Students in forbearance for three or more years will be counted as in default and will be included in the institution’s total number of students in default. The cohort default rate will be determined by multiplying the percentage of students enrolled at the institution for the respective fiscal year and will be referred to as the “adjusted cohort default rate.” The bill would also penalize institutions with a certain percentage of graduates who default on their federal loans by not allowing the institution to participate in certain programs.
Sponsor: Rep. Jackson [D-NC]
Introduced: 03/22/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would establish the Proprietary Education Interagency Oversight Coordination Committee which would be composed of representatives from various federal entities, tasked with improving enforcement of federal laws, increasing accountability of proprietary institutions of higher education, ensuring quality education programs, and preventing fraud and abuse by proprietary institutions. In coordination with the committee, ED would be responsible for establishing a telephone number, website, and database to collect and monitor student complaints against proprietary institutions. The bill also calls for the annual publication of a "For-Profit College Warning List for Parents and Students" listing institutions with legal issues or eligibility concerns regarding federal education assistance.
Sponsor: Rep. Murphy [R-NC]
Introduced: 03/19/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would amend the HEA and prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving federal financial assistance and participating in federal student loan programs if they adopt certain policies relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill would allow certain exemptions and protections, such as allowing medical schools to provide instruction on unique medical needs related to a student’s sex, race, or other characteristics.
Sponsor: Banks [Rep./R-IN]/Vance [Sen.R-OH]
Introduced: 03/19/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would amend the HEA and prohibit institutions of higher education from receiving federal funds for student assistance or institutional aid if they employ undocumented and unlawful individuals. The bill would also require that institutions of higher education participate in the E-Verify Program in order to be eligible for federal funds.
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin [D-IL]
Introduced: 2/01/2024
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill establishes the Proprietary Education Interagency Oversight Committee to improve the coordination of federal oversight of proprietary higher education institutions. This bill calls for the creation of a system that would allow students, parents, and other stakeholders to submit misconduct complaints against for-profit colleges. The committee would be required to submit an annual report to Congress outlining a summary of the complaints received, resolved, or pending against for-profit colleges and any recommendations the committee has for holding for-profit colleges accountable. Additionally, the committee would also be responsible for creating and publishing a “For-ProfIt College Warning List for Parents and Students,” to help students make informed decisions in regards to what their options are for receiving post-secondary education.
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz [D-HI]
Introduced: 11/30/2023
NASFAA Summary and Analysis: This bill would establish an Office of Prison Education within the Bureau of Prisons and among other functions, the Office would be responsible for standardizing education programs in all federal prisons and correctional institutions. It would also provide training and technical assistance to state prison systems. This bill would also establish the Federal Prison Education Program to create partnerships between federal correctional institutions and education providers to create and provide quality educational programs.
Sponsor: Sen. Scott [R-FL]
Introduced: 11/29/2023
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would require institutions with large endowments who participate in federal financial aid programs to cover a percentage of the cost of attendance of each enrolled full-time student. The greater the endowment of the institution, the higher the percentage they will be required to cover. This bill would require that these institutions collect and submit data to the ED relating to things such as cost of attendance, if the COA has increased throughout from the previous year, the amount of money in their endowment, and if the endowment has increased. The institutions will also be required to submit data to ED for purposes of program integrity.
Sponsor: Rep. Cartwright [D-PA]
Introduced: 11/07/2023
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would require colleges and universities to establish record-management plans in order to be eligible for accreditation. These record management plans would be designed to provide for the custody, continued access, and disposition of student records, including student transcripts, billing, and financial aid records.
Sponsor: Bowman [Rep.-D-NY] & Merkley [Sen.-D-OR]
Introduced: 07/26/2023
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would prohibit institutions receiving Title IV funds from giving preference to students in the admissions process based on their relationships to donors or alumni of the institution.
Legislative Tracker Overview | Archive: Quality & Accountability
Publication Date: 11/21/2024