Assuring Quality Outcomes in Higher Education Act of 2015

Summary: Assuring Quality Outcomes in Higher Education Act of 2015 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to conduct and publish an impact analysis prior to implementing any final rule or enforcing any existing regulation or framework that utilizes income- or employment-based metrics. The Government Accountability Office must review the impact analysis for accuracy and completeness.  ED's impact analysis must include the effect of income- or employment-based metrics on all postsecondary education programs and students at all categories of institutions of higher education that participate in a title IV program under the Higher Education Act of 1965, the correlation between variables other than quality of education that could affect income and debt-to-income ratios or employment outcome, and the comparison of various income sources and debt data utilized under the regulation or performance framework.  The requirement established by this Act terminates when a law is enacted that reauthorizes the Higher Education Act of 1965 for at least two fiscal years.   

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Assuring Quality Outcomes in Higher 
Education Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. DATA ANALYSIS REQUIREMENT FOR USE OF INCOME- OR EMPLOYMENT-
              BASED METRICS FOR MEASURING QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--During the period specified in subsection (c), the 
Secretary of Education shall not issue or otherwise implement any final 
rule with respect to any proposed regulation or other performance 
framework that utilizes any income- or employment-based metric or data, 
including any such regulation or framework relating to college ratings, 
teacher preparation, or gainful employment, or implement or enforce any 
existing regulation or performance framework that utilizes any such 
metric, until 90 days after--
            (1) the Secretary of Education conducts and makes publicly 
        available a complete data analysis required under subsection 
        (b) with respect to such regulation or performance framework; 
        and
            (2) the Comptroller General of the United States makes 
        publicly available a report that reviews such data analysis for 
        data accuracy and completeness.
    (b) Data Analysis.--The data analysis required under this 
subsection with respect to a regulation or performance framework 
shall--
            (1) analyze the impact of the income- or employment-based 
        outcome metrics utilized under the regulation or performance 
        framework (including any substantial employment thresholds and 
        measures of short-term earnings, long-term earnings, and debt-
        to-earnings) on all postsecondary education programs and 
        students at all categories of institutions of higher education 
        that participate in a program under title IV of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), including--
                    (A) the impact on, and educational alternatives 
                for, students who--
                            (i) receive Federal Pell Grants under 
                        subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et 
                        seq.);
                            (ii) are minority students;
                            (iii) are older than age 24;
                            (iv) are veterans;
                            (v) are independent students; and
                            (vi) are dependent students;
                    (B) for each of the impacted student groups 
                described in subparagraph (A), the extent to which 
                students impacted by the income- or employment-based 
                outcome metric would abandon pursuit of any educational 
                alternative;
                    (C) the impact on, and educational alternatives 
                for, students who will be displaced from their 
                postsecondary education program as a result of the 
                proposed use of the income- or employment-based outcome 
                metric, including--
                            (i) the ability of educational alternatives 
                        to add capacity to absorb additional displaced 
                        students;
                            (ii) the required additional Federal and 
                        State subsidies required to provide such 
                        additional capacity; and
                            (iii) the number of displaced students who 
                        would abandon pursuit of any educational 
                        alternative; and
                    (D) the impact on economic sectors--
                            (i) with known elements of public or 
                        government service, such as social work and 
                        Federal, State, and local public or government 
                        service; and
                            (ii) with projected workforce skills gaps, 
                        such as manufacturing, healthcare, and 
                        education;
            (2) analyze the degree of correlation between variables 
        other than quality of education that could affect income and 
        debt-to-income or employment outcomes, including--
                    (A) regional and urban differences;
                    (B) economic conditions at time of graduation;
                    (C) patterns of discrimination (including those 
                based on gender and race);
                    (D) family income prior to enrollment; and
                    (E) credential pursued or program of study; and
            (3) compare the various sources of income and debt data 
        utilized under the regulation or performance framework, 
        highlighting the differences between data sets, the 
        availability of the data, the quality and completeness of the 
        data, the student privacy issues with the use of data, and the 
        data collection burden on the relevant institutions.
    (c) Period of Prohibition.--The period specified in this subsection 
is the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and 
ending on the date of the enactment of a law that extends the 
authorization or duration of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) by not less than 2 fiscal years beyond the 
authorization or duration of such Act in effect on such date of 
enactment.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Independent student.--The term ``independent student'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 480(d) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d)).
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1002), except that the term does not include 
        institutions described in subparagraph (C) of section 102(a)(1) 
        of such Act.
            (3) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 480(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(c)).
            (4) Educational alternative.--The term ``educational 
        alternative'' means a comparable or similar program of study 
        offered at the same institution that a student attends or at 
        another institution of higher education, which has the meaning 
        of the term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 1002), except that the term does not include any 
        institution described in subparagraph (C) of section 102(a)(1) 
        of the Higher Education Act of 1965.