Legislative Tracker Archive: Quality & Accountability
On this page, you'll find proposals that look to hold institutions or individuals responsible for their actions or performance. In addition, this page includes legislation impacting accreditation.
| Prohibition of Preferential Treatment for Illegal Aliens | ||||
| S. 60 | Sponsor: Sen. Vitter (R-LA) |
Co-Sponsors: 0 (0 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 1/7/2015 |
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| HR 3566 | Sponsor: Rep. Gosar (R-AZ, 4) |
Co-Sponsors: 25 (25 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 9/18/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill enacts a system to ensure states or institutions prohibit undocumented students from receiving student aid if not available to all United States citizens. | ||||
| Proprietary Education Oversight Coordination Improvement Act | ||||
| HR 747 | Sponsor: Rep. Cummings (D-MD, 7) |
Co-Sponsors: 1 (0 R; 1 D) |
Introduced: 2/5/2015 |
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| S. 396 | Sponsor: Sen. Durbin (D-IL) |
Co-Sponsors: 4 (0 R; 4 D) |
Introduced: 2/5/2015 |
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NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: The bill would require the formation of an interagency committee specifically instructed to examine the for-profit sector. The committee would meet regularly, publish a report, and compile a "warning list" of institutions. |
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| Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act | ||||
| HR 970 | Sponsor: Rep. Foxx (R-NC, 5) |
Co-Sponsors: 39 (37 R; 2 D) |
Introduced: 2/13/2015 |
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| S. 559 | Sponsor: Sen. Burr (R-NC) |
Co-Sponsors: 28 (28 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 2/25/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would repeal current regulations relating to state authorization, credit hour definition, and gainful employment. It prohibits the Department of Education from enacting any regulations on these topics in the future. ED would also be prohibited from developing a teacher preparation program accountability system and an institutional ratings system. | ||||
| No Federal Funds Without the American Flag Act | ||||
| HR 1691 | Sponsor: Rep. Duffy (R-WI, 7) |
Co-Sponsors: 2 (2 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 3/26/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill prohibits federal financial aid to higher education institutions that ban the display of the American flag on campus. | ||||
| Protections and Regulation for Our Students Act (PRO Students Act) | ||||
| HR 2192 | Sponsor: Rep. Takano (D-CA, 41) |
Co-Sponsors: 12 (0 R; 12 D) |
Introduced: 4/30/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This comprehensive bill changes the 90/10 Rule back to 85/15 for proprietary institutions, prohibits institutions from using federal student aid funds for marketing, advertising, or recruiting, establishes an interagency committee to examine the for-profit sector, launches a complaint tracking system for students, improve access to particular pieces of consumer information, prohibits incentive compensation based on recruitment or academic success, among other things. | ||||
| Protect Student Borrowers Act | ||||
| S. 1102 | Sponsor: Sen. Reed (D-RI) |
Co-Sponsors: 3 (0 R; 3 D) |
Introduced: 4/27/2015 |
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| HR 2364 | Sponsor: Rep. Carney (D-DE) |
Co-Sponsors: 0 (0 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 5/15/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill, a risk-sharing proposal, would require institutions of higher education with cohort default rates at 15% or higher to pay a certain percentage of the total amount of loans made to students in default. Payments would be used to rehabilitate certain loans, develop programs to assist borrowers in default, and offset any future shortfalls in the Pell Grant program. | ||||
| National Collegiate Athletics Accountability (NCAA) Act | ||||
| HR 2731 | Sponsor: Rep. Dent (R-PA, 15) |
Co-Sponsors: 6 (3 R; 3 D) |
Introduced: 6/11/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill prohibits universities from receiving Title IV funds if they participate in an athletic association that does not provide certain rules related to the health of student athletes, the education of student athletes, and due process related to possible infractions of athletic association bylaws. | ||||
| Assuring Quality Outcomes in Higher Education Act | ||||
| HR 2815 | Sponsor: Rep. Salmon (R-AZ, 5) |
Co-Sponsors: 10 (4 R; 6 D) |
Introduced: 6/17/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This measure would require the Department of Education to conduct an impact analysis on any income- or employment-based measures of quality in higher education before promulgating regulations. The bill’s text refers specifically to gainful employment, college ratings, and teacher preparation regulations. | ||||
| Military and Veterans Education Protection Act | ||||
| S. 1664 | Sponsor: Sen. Carper (D-DE) |
Co-Sponsors: 26 (0 R; 26 D) |
Introduced: 6/24/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This measure would count military tuition assistance and veterans' education benefits as federal aid for the purpose of calculations under the 90/10 Rule for proprietary institutions. | ||||
| Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act | ||||
| S. 1908 | Sponsor: Sen. Brown (D-OH) |
Co-Sponsors: 5 (0 R; 5 D) |
Introduced: 7/30/2015 |
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| HR 4109 | Sponsor: Rep. Grijalva (D-AZ, 3) |
Co-Sponsors: 8 (0 R; 8 D) |
Introduced: 11/19/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This measure prohibits institutions from using federal student aid funds for marketing, advertising, or recruiting. | ||||
| Student Protection and Success Act | ||||
| S. 1939 | Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen (D-NH) |
Co-Sponsors: 1 (1 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 8/5/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would implement an institutional risk-sharing model where eligibility for student aid funding would depend on cohort repayment rates. | ||||
| Students Before Profits Act | ||||
| S. 2098 | Sponsor: Sen. Murphy (D-CT) |
Co-Sponsors: 5 (0 R; 5 D) |
Introduced: 9/29/2015 |
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| HR 3992 | Sponsor: Rep. Waters (D-CA, 43) |
Co-Sponsors: 15 (0 R; 15 D) |
Introduced: 11/5/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill focuses on reforms targeted at the proprietary sector. The legislation would impose civil penalties on executives of institutions found to be misrepresenting student data, require the Secretary of Education to monitor default rate manipulation, make executives personally liable for financial losses due to borrower defense to repayment, and "prevent repeat offenders" by not allowing board members and executives from institutions the Department of Education has pursued enforcement action against from working at another institution of higher education. | ||||
| Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act | ||||
| S. 2272 | Sponsor: Sen. Durbin (D-IL) |
Co-Sponsors: 5 (0 R; 4 D; 1 I) |
Introduced: 11/10/2015 |
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| HR 4101 | Sponsor: Rep. Cohen (D-TN) |
Co-Sponsors: 3 (1 R; 2 D) |
Introduced: 11/19/2015 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This comprehensive bill changes the 90/10 Rule back to 85/15 for proprietary institutions and expands the definition of federal funds to include any Federal financial assistance provided, under this Act or any other Federal law, through a grant, contract, subsidy, loan, guarantee, insurance, or other means to a proprietary institution, including Federal financial assistance that is disbursed or delivered to an institution or on behalf of a student or to a student to be used to attend the institution. | ||||
| Educator Preparation Reform Act | ||||
| S. 2419 | Sponsor: Sen. Reed (D-RI) |
Co-Sponsors: 2 (0 R; 2 D) |
Introduced: 12/17/2015 |
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| HR 4471 | Sponsor: Rep. Honda (D-CA, 17) |
Co-Sponsors: 6 (0 R; 6 D) |
Introduced: 2/4/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This comprehensive bill addresses quality and accountability for teacher preparation programs. Specifically, the legislation requires programs to report on several performance metrics. The bill would also modify some components of TEACH Grants by restricting eligibility to only college juniors, seniors, and masters-level students. The bill allows partial payback based on the length of service completed for TEACH Grant recipients who do not finish the four-year service requirement. Institutions defined as "at-risk" or "low performing" would be ineligible for TEACH. | ||||
| Pell for Performance Act | ||||
| HR 4808 | Sponsor: Rep. Salmon (R-AZ, 5) |
Co-Sponsors: 0 (0 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 3/17/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: In this bill, Pell Grant recipients who do not complete their program within the maximum time frame will be required to repay the Pell Grant dollars received in the form of an unsubsidized loan with interest applied retroactively to the date of first disbursement. Pell Grant recipients who enroll in another institution less than a year later or who face undue hardship, which includes active duty military service, the death of a relative, personal injury, or "other special circumstances as determined by the institution," would be exempted from this provision. | ||||
| Campus Sexual Assault Whistleblower Protection Act | ||||
| HR 5972 | Sponsor: Rep. Spier (D-CA, 14) |
Co-Sponsors: 13 (2 R; 11 D) |
Introduced: 9/8/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would exempt sexual assault survivors and witnesses from ineligibility from federal financial aid due to drug use admitted to or discovered following a sexual assault report. In addition, institutions are prohibited from taking "retaliatory action" (expulsion, suspension, or altering of financial aid) against sexual assault survivors and witnesses for drug, alcohol, or sexual activity admitted to or discovered following a sexual assault report. Institutions would be required to inform students annually of this policy. | ||||
| Access, Success, and Persistence in Reshaping Education (ASPIRE) Act | ||||
| S. 3368 | Sponsor: Sen. Coons (D-DE) |
Co-Sponsors: 1 (1 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 9/21/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill would fine the bottom five percent of institutions based on percentages of enrolled first time, full time Pell Grant recipients and use the funds to reward institutions with competitive funds to increase access and success efforts. Additionally, the bottom five percent of institutions based on six-year graduation rates would risk paying a penalty before eventually losing Title IV eligibility or schools can opt-in to the bill's completion standards. | ||||
| Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act | ||||
| S. 3380 | Sponsor: Sen. Warren (D-MA) |
Co-Sponsors: 2 (0 R; 2 D) |
Introduced: 9/22/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This measure aims to comprehensively address accreditation. The bill would require the Department of Education (ED) to establish standards for student outcome data (e.g. loan repayment rate, loan default rate, graduation rate, retention rate, student earnings, job placement rate, etc.) that accreditors must use when evaluating colleges, including minimum baseline thresholds for select outcomes metrics that colleges must meet in order to remain accredited. The bill would require accreditors to conduct an "enhanced accreditation review" following any indication of fraud or abuse at an institution, including federal or state investigations and lawsuits. The bill would also increase transparency surrounding accreditation action and increase the authority of ED to terminate recognition of an accreditor. | ||||
| Protect the Flag Act | ||||
| HR 6433 | Sponsor: Rep. Turner (R-OH, 10) |
Co-Sponsors: 56 (56 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 12/2/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill prohibits federal financial aid for higher education institutions that ban or remove the American flag from campus. | ||||
| No Funding for Sanctuary Campuses Act | ||||
| HR 6530 | Sponsor: Rep. Hunter (R-CA, 50) |
Co-Sponsors: 2 (2 R; 0 D) |
Introduced: 12/16/2016 |
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| NASFAA Analysis & Coverage: This bill prohibits federal financial aid for higher education institutions that have "sanctuary campus" policies in effect to shield or protect undocumented students from law enforcement. Institutions would be classified as a "sanctuary campus" by the Secretary of Homeland Security based on several criteria outlined in the bill. | ||||
Publication Date: 1/1/2017