I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8994 
To amend the Department of Education Organization Act to permit appeals 
of certain determinations made by the Office of Civil Rights of the 
Department of Education made with respect to complaints filed between 
March 5, 2018, and November 18, 2018. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 16, 2020 
Ms. UNDERWOOD (for herself, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. NORTON, 
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. MOORE, Mr. KIL-
DEE, and Ms. JAYAPAL) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Department of Education Organization Act 
to permit appeals of certain determinations made by 
the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Edu-
cation made with respect to complaints filed between 
March 5, 2018, and November 18, 2018. 
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 ‘‘Restoring Students’ 
Right to Appeal Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. RIGHT TO APPEAL CERTAIN DETERMINATIONS 
MADE WITH RESPECT TO CIVIL RIGHTS COM-
PLAINTS FILED BETWEEN MARCH 5, 2018, 
AND NOVEMBER 18, 2018. 
Section 203 of the Department of Education Organi-
zation Act (20 U.S.C. 3413) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(d)(1) An individual who filed a complaint with the 
Office of Civil Rights between March 5, 2018, and Novem-
ber, 18, 2018, and who received an investigative deter-
mination of insufficient evidence shall have the right to 
file with such Office an appeal of such determination in 
accordance with this subsection. 
‘‘(2) Not later than 60 days after the effective date 
of this subsection, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 
shall conduct outreach to inform each individual described 
in paragraph (1) of the right to file such appeal. Such 
outreach shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) The Assistant Secretary shall publish on 
the website of the Department a notice that each in-
dividual described in paragraph (1) has the right to 
file such appeal. 
‘‘(B) The Assistant Secretary shall notify in 
writing each individual described in paragraph (1) of 
the right to file such appeal during the 60–day pe-
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riod that begins on the date such individual receives 
the written notice of such right. 
‘‘(C) Not later than 180 days after the effective 
date of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a 
report to the Committee on Education and Labor of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen-
ate that includes— 
‘‘(i) with respect to each complaint de-
scribed in paragraph (1), information that 
specifies— 
‘‘(I) each Federal civil rights law that 
such complainant alleged was violated; 
‘‘(II) the date on which such com-
plaint was filed; 
‘‘(III) the date on which any previous 
appeal of such determination was filed; 
and 
‘‘(IV) the then current status of such 
complaint; and 
‘‘(ii) information describing in detail the 
outreach conducted under this paragraph to in-
form individuals described in paragraph (1) of 
the right to appeal under this subsection. 
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‘‘(D) Data reported under this subsection shall 
be reported in accordance with applicable privacy 
laws and regulations.’’. 
Æ 
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