119th Congress Education
S. 994: PROTECT Students Act of 2025
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- Passed House (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill sets forth provisions to address financial predatory practices in higher education, including by establishing additional protections for students and student loan borrowers.
Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for Department of Education (ED) regulations related to gainful employment, borrower defense to repayment, and closed school discharges. For example, ED's 2023 gainful employment regulations specify that ED considers a career education program to be preparing students for gainful employment if it meets specified debt-to-earnings or earnings premium measures.
Additionally, the bill prohibits institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs from taking specified actions, such as (1) restricting students' ability to pursue claims against IHEs in court, and (2) withholding official transcripts because of a balance owed by the student.
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The bill requires IHEs to spend at least 30% of their tuition and fee revenue on instruction.
The bill also includes additional oversight measures, such as
- providing statutory authority for an enforcement unit within ED's Office of Federal Student Aid to assess complaints against IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers;
- establishing the For-Profit Education Oversight Coordination Committee within the executive branch; and
- requiring ED to establish and operate a system that tracks complaints or reports of suspicious activity by IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers.
The bill makes funding available to ED for the administrative costs of operating student aid programs.
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
- Jeff Merkley D-OROriginal
- Elizabeth Warren D-MAOriginal
Who scored on this bill
No member has earned points from it yet.
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History
- Introduced in the Senate by Richard Durbin.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in Senate
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S1706-1715)