Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6857
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Education
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-18: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-06T19:59:25Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025 aims to promote awareness of protections against discrimination based on race, color, or national origin under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (a federal law prohibiting such discrimination by entities receiving federal funds). It requires higher education institutions to share complaint information and mandates federal oversight to improve reporting and handling of these issues.
Key Provisions
- Title VI Awareness Campaign (Section 2):
- The Secretary of Education, through the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, must run a public awareness campaign highlighting rights under Title VI.
- The campaign includes engaging visual and audio materials, updated yearly, and distributed to colleges for display in high-traffic areas (e.g., student centers) and on prominent websites (e.g., student services pages).
- The Department can manage this directly or hire a nonprofit with experience in federal public campaigns.
- Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions participating in federal student aid programs to:
- Prominently link to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) complaint webpage on their homepage.
- Annually post the campaign materials in physical and digital high-traffic spots.
- Congressional Briefings (Section 3):
- Starting 30 days after enactment and lasting one year, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights must provide monthly briefings to Congress on:
- Number of Title VI complaints received the prior month, broken down by type of discrimination.
- Plans for addressing complaints and any investigations started.
- Average time complaints stay open.
- A written report must be sent to Congress 48 hours before each briefing, while protecting personal privacy under federal laws.
- Audit and Study (Section 4):
- All higher education institutions receiving federal funds must submit yearly reports to the Department of Education's Inspector General (IG), including:
- Number of Title VI discrimination complaints received.
- Analysis of those complaints' details.
- Description of actions taken to resolve them.
- The IG must conduct annual audits of the top 5% of institutions with the highest per-student complaint rates, reviewing their complaint-handling processes and any need for OCR referrals.
- The IG must perform a study on:
- Reasons for differences between complaints filed directly with institutions versus those sent to OCR.
- A measurement of that gap.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new subsection (30) to Section 487(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, making Title VI awareness postings and OCR links a mandatory condition for institutions to receive federal student aid. This builds on existing anti-discrimination rules by requiring proactive public education and compliance verification, without altering core Title VI enforcement.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities for the Department of Education (e.g., creating and distributing materials, congressional reporting) and the IG (e.g., processing institutional reports, conducting audits and studies), potentially straining resources but improving federal tracking of campus discrimination.
- Citizens: Enhances access to information for students, faculty, and staff at colleges, making it easier to report discrimination and potentially leading to faster resolutions. It may empower marginalized groups by reducing barriers to filing complaints.
- International Relations: No direct effects, though it could indirectly support U.S. commitments to human rights education in higher education settings with international students.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Institutions of Higher Education: Must comply with new posting, reporting, and potential audit requirements to maintain federal funding eligibility.
- Students and Campus Communities: Primary beneficiaries through better awareness of anti-discrimination rights and complaint options.
- Department of Education and OCR: Tasked with leading awareness efforts, investigations, and briefings.
- Congress: Receives ongoing updates to monitor Title VI enforcement.
- Inspector General of the Department of Education: Oversees audits and studies to evaluate institutional compliance.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Reinforces Title VI enforcement by mandating transparency and data collection, potentially increasing complaint volumes and litigation if institutions fail to comply. It aligns with federal privacy laws (e.g., protecting personal data in reports) but introduces new administrative burdens enforceable through federal aid conditions.
- Constitutional: Supports equal protection under the 14th Amendment by promoting non-discrimination in federally funded programs, with no evident conflicts to free speech or other rights.
- Political: Introduced with bipartisan support (from both parties), it emphasizes campus safety and accountability without partisan mandates, potentially influencing broader debates on higher education equity and federal oversight.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (21)
Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2], Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6], Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6], Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11], Rep. Evans, Gabe [R-CO-8], Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1], Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14], Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1], Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6], Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25], Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott [D-IL-10], Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4], Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50], Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11], Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11], Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2], Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24], Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2], Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-18: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2025-12-18: Introduced in House
- 2025-12-18: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025 — issued 2025-12-18 — PDF (6 pages)