I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6717 
To provide consumer protections for students. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 30, 2012 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. COHEN, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mr. ELLISON) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed 
Services and Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined 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. 
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 ‘‘Protecting Students 
from Worthless Degrees Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CONSUMER PROTECTIONS FOR STUDENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(A) 
FEDERAL
FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Federal financial assist-
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ance program’’ means a program authorized 
and funded by the Federal Government under 
any of the following provisions of law: 
(i) Title IV of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.). 
(ii) Title I of the Workforce Invest-
ment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et 
seq.). 
(iii) The Adult Education and Family 
Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9201 et seq.). 
(iv) Chapter 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, or 35 
of title 38, United States Code. 
(v) Chapter 101, 105, 106A, 1606, 
1607, or 1608 of title 10, United States 
Code. 
(vi) Section 1784a, 2005, or 2007 of 
title 10, United States Code. 
(B) 
INSTITUTION
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘‘institution of higher edu-
cation’’— 
(i) with respect to a program author-
ized under subparagraph (A)(i), has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1002); 
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(ii) with respect to a program author-
ized under subparagraph (A)(ii), has the 
meaning given the term ‘‘postsecondary 
educational institution’’ as defined in sec-
tion 101 of the Workforce Investment Act 
of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801); 
(iii) with respect to a program author-
ized under subparagraph (A)(iii), has the 
meaning given the term ‘‘postsecondary 
educational institution’’ as defined in sec-
tion 203 of the Adult Education and Fam-
ily Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9202); 
(iv) with respect to a program author-
ized under subparagraph (A)(iv), has the 
meaning given the term ‘‘educational insti-
tution’’ under section 3452 of title 38, 
United States Code; 
(v) with respect to a program author-
ized under subparagraph (A)(v), means an 
educational institution that awards a de-
gree or certificate and is located in any 
State; and 
(vi) with respect to a program author-
ized under subparagraph (A)(vi), means an 
educational institution that awards a de-
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entry into the recognized occupation or profes-
sion in the State, such as clinical placements, 
internships, or apprenticeships; 
(C) in the case of State licensing or profes-
sionally mandated requirements for entry into 
the recognized occupation or profession in the 
State in which the institution offering the pro-
gram is located (and in any State in which the 
institution indicates, through advertising or 
marketing activities or direct contact with po-
tential students, that a student will be prepared 
to work in the occupation or profession after 
successfully completing the program) that re-
quire specialized accreditation— 
(i) the program meets that require-
ment for specialized accreditation through 
its accreditation or pre-accreditation by an 
accrediting agency or association recog-
nized by the Secretary of Education as a 
reliable authority as to the quality or train-
ing offered by the institution in that pro-
gram; and 
(ii) if the program is in a pre-accred-
ited, probation, or show cause status by an 
accrediting agency or association described 
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in clause (i), and the requirement for spe-
cialized accreditation is for full accredita-
tion, the institution— 
(I) establishes, to the satisfaction 
of the Secretary of Education, that 
each student who enrolls before the 
program is fully accredited attests of 
being advised that the program is in 
a pre-accredited, probation, or show 
cause status and of being informed of 
the effect on the student’s eligibility 
for assistance under this title and on 
the student’s ability to satisfy State 
or professionally mandated require-
ments for entry into the recognized 
occupation or profession if full accred-
itation is delayed, denied, terminated, 
or withdrawn; and 
(II) publicly and prominently dis-
closes in any advertising, marketing, 
or recruitment materials and activities 
for the institution, the institution’s 
pre-accredited, probation, or show 
cause status and the implications of 
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such status for prospective students; 
and 
(D) the institution— 
(i) discloses on the application to en-
roll in the institution that its program does 
not necessarily satisfy out-of-State require-
ments, if applicable; and 
(ii) upon receipt of an application to 
enroll in the institution, notifies the stu-
dent, prior to enrollment, if the program in 
which the student intends to enroll does 
not satisfy the requirements of the State in 
which the student is a resident, if applica-
ble. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall be effec-
tive 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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