I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4658 

To provide consumer protections for students. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 14, 2017 

Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI (for himself and Mr. TAKANO) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide consumer protections for students. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Students 

5 from Worthless Degrees Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONSUMER PROTECTIONS FOR STUDENTS. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PRO9 GRAM.—The term ‘‘Federal financial assistance pro10 gram’’ means a program authorized and funded by 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 4658 IH

1 the Federal Government under any of the following 

2 provisions of law: 

3 (A) Title IV of the Higher Education Act 

4 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.). 

5 (B) Title I of the Workforce Innovation 

6 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111 et seq.) 

7 and title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 

8 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.). 

9 (C) The Adult Education and Family Lit10 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3271 et seq.). 

11 (D) Chapter 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, or 35 of 

12 title 38, United States Code. 

13 (E) Chapter 101, 105, 106A, 1606, 1607, 

14 or 1608 of title 10, United States Code. 

15 (F) Section 1784a, 2005, or 2007 of title 

16 10, United States Code. 

17 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

18 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’— 

19 (A) with respect to a program authorized 

20 under paragraph (1)(A), has the meaning given 

21 the term in section 102 of the Higher Edu22 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002); 

23 (B) with respect to— 

24 (i) a program authorized under title I 

25 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 4658 IH

1 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), has the meaning 

2 given the term ‘‘postsecondary educational 

3 institution’’ as defined in section 101 of 

4 the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

5 U.S.C. 2801), on the day before the date 

6 of enactment of the Workforce Innovation 

7 and Opportunity Act (Public Law 113– 

8 128); and 

9 (ii) a program authorized under title I 

10 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor11 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111 et seq.), has 

12 the meaning given the term in section 3 of 

13 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

14 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); 

15 (C) with respect to a program authorized 

16 under paragraph (1)(C), has the meaning given 

17 the term ‘‘postsecondary educational institu18 tion’’ as defined in section 203 of the Adult 

19 Education and Family Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 

20 3272); 

21 (D) with respect to a program authorized 

22 under paragraph (1)(D), has the meaning given 

23 the term ‘‘educational institution’’ under section 

24 3452 of title 38, United States Code; 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 4658 IH

1 (E) with respect to a program authorized 

2 under paragraph (1)(E), means an educational 

3 institution that awards a degree or certificate 

4 and is located in any State; and 

5 (F) with respect to a program authorized 

6 under paragraph (1)(F), means an educational 

7 institution that awards a degree or certificate 

8 and is located in any State. 

9 (3) STATE.— 

10 (A) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ includes, 

11 in addition to the several States of the United 

12 States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 

13 District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, 

14 the United States Virgin Islands, the Common15 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 

16 the freely associated States. 

17 (B) FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES.—The 

18 term ‘‘freely associated States’’ means the Re19 public of the Marshall Islands, the Federated 

20 States of Micronesia, and the Republic of 

21 Palau. 

22 (b) CONSUMER PROTECTIONS.—Notwithstanding 

23 any other provision of law, an institution of higher edu24 cation is not eligible to participate in a Federal financial 

25 assistance program with respect to any program of postVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:25 Dec 15, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4658.IH H4658

daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 4658 IH

1 secondary education or training, including a degree or cer2 tificate program, that is designed to prepare students for 

3 entry into a recognized occupation or profession that re4 quires licensing or other established requirements as a 

5 pre-condition for entry into such occupation or profession, 

6 unless, by not later than 1 year after the date of enact7 ment of this Act— 

8 (1) the successful completion of the program 

9 fully qualifies a student, in the Metropolitan Statis10 tical Area and State in which the student resides 

11 (and in any State in which the institution indicates, 

12 through advertising or marketing activities or direct 

13 contact with potential students, that a student will 

14 be prepared to work in the occupation or profession 

15 after successfully completing the program), to— 

16 (A) take any examination required for 

17 entry into the recognized occupation or profes18 sion in the Metropolitan Statistical Area and 

19 State in which the student resides, including 

20 satisfying all Federal, State, or professionally 

21 mandated programmatic and specialized accred22 itation requirements, if any; and 

23 (B) be certified or licensed or meet any 

24 other academically related pre-conditions that 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 4658 IH

1 are required for entry into the recognized occu2 pation or profession in the State; and 

3 (2) the institution offering the program pro4 vides timely placement for all of the academically re5 lated pre-licensure requirements for entry into the 

6 recognized occupation or profession, such as clinical 

7 placements, internships, or apprenticeships. 

8 SEC. 3. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR GAINFUL EM9 PLOYMENT PROGRAMS. 

10 Section 487 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 1094) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(30) The institution will provide to the Sec15 retary not later than the first December 31 following 

16 the date of enactment of Protecting Students from 

17 Worthless Degrees Act, in accordance with proce18 dures established by the Secretary, a certification 

19 signed by the most senior executive officer of the in20 stitution that each of the eligible gainful employment 

21 programs included on the eligibility and certification 

22 approval report of the institution meets the require23 ments of subsection (k).’’; and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 4658 IH

1 ‘‘(k) CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR GE PRO2 GRAMS.—Each of the eligible gainful employment pro3 grams included on the eligibility and certification approval 

4 report of an institution of higher education shall comply 

5 with each of the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) The gainful employment program is ap7 proved by a recognized accrediting agency or is oth8 erwise included in the institution’s accreditation by 

9 its recognized accrediting agency, or, if the institu10 tion is a public postsecondary vocational institution, 

11 the program is approved by a recognized State agen12 cy for the approval of public postsecondary voca13 tional education in lieu of accreditation. 

14 ‘‘(2) The gainful employment program is pro15 grammatically accredited, if such accreditation is re16 quired by a Federal governmental entity or by a gov17 ernmental entity in the State in which the institu18 tion is located or in which the institution is other19 wise required to obtain State approval pursuant to 

20 section 600.9 of title 34, Code of Federal Regula21 tions, or a similar successor regulation. 

22 ‘‘(3) The gainful employment program satisfies 

23 the applicable educational prerequisites for profes24 sional licensure or certification requirements in the 

25 State in which the institution is located or in which 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 4658 IH

1 the institution is otherwise required to obtain State 

2 approval pursuant to section 600.9 of title 34, Code 

3 of Federal Regulations, or a similar successor regu4 lation, so that a student who completes the program 

5 and seeks employment in such a State qualifies to 

6 take any licensure or certification exam that is need7 ed for the student to practice or find employment in 

8 an occupation that the program prepares students to 

9 enter. 

10 ‘‘(4) The gainful employment program is not 

11 substantially similar to a program offered by the in12 stitution that, in any of the 3 years prior to the date 

13 of the determination, became ineligible for funding 

14 under this title due to the debt to earning rates 

15 measure or was failing, or in the zone with respect 

16 to, the debt to earning rates measure and was volun17 tarily discontinued by the institution. The institution 

18 shall include with its certification an explanation of 

19 how the gainful employment program is not substan20 tially similar to any such ineligible or discontinued 

21 program.’’. 

Æ 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS