119th Congress Education
H.R. 4054: Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act
Reported
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed House (not reached)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill revises the accreditation process for reviewing the quality of education offered by institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Under current law, an IHE seeking to participate in many federal programs (e.g., federal student aid programs) must be accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education (ED) as a reliable authority on the quality of the education being offered at the IHE. An ED-recognized accrediting agency must meet various provisions under the Higher Education Act of 1965 and in regulations.
Under this bill, states may designate an entity (e.g., an industry-specific quality assurance entity) as an accrediting agency for programs or IHEs in the state. The bill outlines the requirements for the state to submit a plan to ED and for ED to respond to the plan.
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Additionally, the bill provides an accelerated path to recognition by authorizing ED to recognize new accrediting agencies within two years of their application.
ED must convene a panel of experts to develop common terminology for accrediting agencies to use in making accrediting decisions and publish those recommendations.
Further, the bill (1) requires accrediting agencies to establish specified standards for measures assessing student success (e.g., labor market outcomes), and (2) requires accrediting agencies to establish procedures for assessing compliance with agency standards that reflect an IHE's risk of losing accreditation.
The bill reauthorizes through September 30, 2028, and revises the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which advises ED on matters related to accreditation.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Mark Messmer R-IN
Who scored on this bill
- 1Randall Fine SponsorIntroduced, marked up, reported3 events+32
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.
Other bills by Randall Fine
History
- Introduced in the House by Randall Fine.
Show the full action history (6 actions)
- Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-414.
- Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 360.
- Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 21 - 15.
- Introduced in House
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.