I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8648 
To increase the transparency of colleges and universities in carrying out 
their civil rights responsibilities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 7, 2024 
Mrs. CHAVEZ-DEREMER introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To increase the transparency of colleges and universities 
in carrying out their civil rights responsibilities, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Civil Rights Protection 
Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. COMPLIANCE AND TRANSPARENCY RELATED TO 
TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. 
(a) PROGRAM
PARTICIPATION
AGREEMENT
RE-
QUIREMENT.—Section 487 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(30) The institution will comply with the pro-
visions of subsection (i) and provide to the Secretary 
an annual attestation of such compliance.’’. 
(2) by redesignating subsections (i) and (j) as 
subsections (j) and (k), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (h) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(i) COMPLIANCE AND TRANSPARENCY RELATED TO 
COMPLAINTS UNDER TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS 
ACT OF 1964.— 
‘‘(1) COMPLIANCE AND TRANSPARENCY.—With 
respect to complaints received by an institution re-
lated to alleged violations of title VI of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), the 
institution will— 
‘‘(A) have in effect, make publicly available 
(including on the website of the institution), 
and widely distribute to students and their fam-
ilies (including in student orientation materials) 
a description of the investigative processes of 
the institution related to such complaints; and 
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‘‘(B) include in the description of inves-
tigative processes described in subparagraph 
(A) at least the following: 
‘‘(i) The processes and factors used to 
determine whether such a complaint will be 
investigated and how the outcome of an in-
vestigation will be determined. 
‘‘(ii) A designation of at least one em-
ployee to coordinate its efforts to comply 
with title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), including 
any investigation of any complaint alleging 
the noncompliance of the institution with 
requirements under the Act. 
‘‘(iii) The contact information and 
necessary steps for reporting such a com-
plaint to the institution. 
‘‘(iv) A procedure to ensure that, for 
each such complaint received by the insti-
tution, the complainant will receive from 
the institution timely notification of each 
of the following: 
‘‘(I) Confirmation of receipt of 
the complaint. 
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‘‘(II) Notification of whether or 
not an investigation has been opened 
in response to the complaint. 
‘‘(III) In the case that an inves-
tigation was not opened in response to 
the complaint, an explanation of why 
an investigation was not opened in-
cluding a summary of the information 
that was used to determine that an 
investigation should not be opened. 
‘‘(IV) In the case that an inves-
tigation was opened— 
‘‘(aa) notification that an in-
vestigation of the complaint will 
be carried out, and that the com-
plainant will be notified of the 
outcome of the investigation; and 
‘‘(bb) notification of the out-
come of the investigation, includ-
ing an explanation of how the 
outcome was reached, and any 
remedial actions taken in re-
sponse to the complaint. 
‘‘(v) A system for keeping and main-
taining records of such complaints, includ-
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ing the determination and reasoning for 
whether or not an investigation into a com-
plaint was opened, a record of the inves-
tigation (including the outcome thereof), 
and a record of any remedial actions taken 
in response to the complaint. 
‘‘(vi) The contact information and 
necessary steps for reporting a complaint 
related to an alleged violation of title VI of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
2000d et seq.) to the Office for Civil 
Rights of the Department of Education, 
including the hyperlink to the electronic 
complaint form of the Office for Civil 
Rights for an alleged violation of such title 
VI. 
‘‘(2) ENFORCEMENT.—An institution of higher 
education that fails to comply with any provision of 
subsection (a)(30) for two consecutive award years 
shall be ineligible to participate in the programs au-
thorized by this title for a period of not less than 
two years. To regain eligibility to participate in the 
programs authorized by this title, an institution of 
higher education shall demonstrate compliance with 
paragraph (1) prior to the completion of the period 
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during which the institution is ineligible due to fail-
ure to comply with such paragraph.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on the first day of the first 
award year beginning after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 3. OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 30 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act and 
ending 2 years after such date of enactment, the As-
sistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department 
of Education shall give a monthly briefing to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen-
ate regarding discrimination on the basis of race, 
color, or national origin in violation of title VI of the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), 
disaggregated by the basis of discrimination, includ-
ing shared ancestry, that— 
(A) explains the number of complaints al-
leging such discrimination that the Office for 
Civil Rights of the Department of Education 
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘Office’’)— 
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(i) is investigating; and 
(ii) has received in the preceding 
month; 
(B) describes— 
(i) how the Office plans to address 
those complaints; and 
(ii) the investigations being carried 
out in response to those complaints, as ap-
plicable; and 
(C) provides data about the length of time 
that those complaints are pending after being 
received by the Office. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 48 hours prior to 
each briefing required under paragraph (1), the As-
sistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department 
of Education shall provide a written report to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen-
ate that contains the information that will be pre-
sented at such briefing, in a manner that protects 
personally identifiable information in accordance 
with applicable privacy laws. 
(b) OCR PROCESS REFORMS.— 
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(1) DISMISSALS.—The Office shall not close or 
dismiss any complaint regarding discrimination on 
the basis of race, color, or national origin in viola-
tion of title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) due to the filing of a com-
plaint involving the same allegations against the 
same recipient— 
(A) by an individual other than the com-
plainant with another Federal, State, or local 
agency, a court, or the recipient, unless the Of-
fice determines that such other individual’s 
complaint is part of a class action in which the 
complainant is part of such class; or 
(B) by the complainant with another Fed-
eral, State, or local agency, a court, or the re-
cipient. 
(2) INVESTIGATIONS.—The Office shall not 
delay an investigation of a complaint due to the fil-
ing of a complaint involving the same allegations 
against the same recipient with another Federal, 
State, or local agency or a recipient. 
(3) RECIPIENT DEFINED.—For purposes of this 
subsection, the term ‘‘recipient’’ means an institu-
tion of higher education (as such term is defined in 
section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
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(20 U.S.C. 1002)) that receives funds under an ap-
plicable program (as such term is defined in section 
400 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 
U.S.C. 1221)). 
Æ 
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