S. 1795 · 118th Congress
Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
R
RubioSponsor3 cosponsors · 3 R
2 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill establishes additional requirements for an accrediting agency to be recognized by the Department of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education being offered at an institution of higher education (IHE).
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Jun 1, 2023
Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act
This bill establishes additional requirements for an accrediting agency to be recognized by the Department of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education being offered at an institution of higher education (IHE).
Specifically, the bill prohibits an accrediting agency from considering (1) the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies of an IHE; and (2) the racial composition of the accepted applicants, students, or the faculty or staff of an IHE. An IHE that is subject to a denial, withdrawal, or termination of accreditation as a result of an accrediting agency's violation of this prohibition may pursue a civil action.
The bill also requires an accrediting agency to assess the IHE's success in ensuring a right of free inquiry (with an exception for religious IHEs).
In the case of a public IHE that is legally required to abide by the First Amendment, the bill defines free inquiry as compliance with (1) the First Amendment, including protections for freedom of speech, association, press, religion, assembly, and petition; and (2) the IHE's own written policies regarding academic freedom.
In the case of a private IHE, free inquiry refers to adherence to the IHE's written institutional policies concerning freedom of speech, association, press, religion, assembly, petition, and academic freedom.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act
Latest action (Jun 1, 2023): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Policy area: Education · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Jun 1, 2023
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.