ALERT Act
Bill: S.1487 | Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. (D-MI)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Accountability of Leaders in Education to Report Title IX Investigations Act or the ALERT Act
This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student-aid programs to certify annually with the Department of Education that they have reviewed reports of misconduct by their employees involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The certification must include a confirmation that the IHE's president and board members involved in the review did not interfere with or influence investigations or dispositions.

To ensure that certain incidents involving a covered employee that are 
  reported to the title IX coordinator at an eligible institution of 
higher education have been reviewed by the president of the institution 
  and not less than 1 additional member of the institution's board of 
                   trustees, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Accountability of Leaders in 
Education to Report Title IX Investigations Act'' or the ``ALERT Act''.

SEC. 2. REVIEW OF TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS.

    Section 487 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(30)(A) The institution will submit an annual 
        certification to the Secretary affirming that--
                    ``(i) the president of the institution (or the 
                equivalent officer) and not less than 1 additional 
                member of the institution's board of trustees (or a 
                designee of the board) have completed a comprehensive 
                review of any incident involving a covered employee 
                that was reported to the title IX coordinator at that 
                institution in the previous 12 months involving an 
                offense described in section 485(f)(8)(A)(i); and
                    ``(ii) the individuals described in clause (i) who 
                completed the comprehensive review did not interfere 
                with or influence any investigation or disposition 
                relating to the reported incident.
            ``(B) In this paragraph--
                    ``(i) the term `comprehensive review' means a 
                review that includes, at a minimum, a review of--
                            ``(I) material findings of fact relating to 
                        the incident that was reported to the title IX 
                        coordinator;
                            ``(II) the basis for any conclusions about 
                        whether a covered employee violated a policy of 
                        the institution; and
                            ``(III) the disposition of any complaints 
                        arising from the reported incident, including 
                        any sanctions imposed on a covered employee;
                    ``(ii) the term `covered employee'--
                            ``(I) means--
                                    ``(aa) a full-time employee of the 
                                institution; or
                                    ``(bb) an individual who was acting 
                                as an employee of the institution, or 
                                who was paid by an entity contracting 
                                with the institution and acting on 
                                behalf of the institution, at the time 
                                of the incident that was reported to 
                                the title IX coordinator; and
                            ``(II) does not include an undergraduate 
                        student; and
                    ``(iii) the term `title IX coordinator' means a 
                responsible employee, as described in section 106.8(a) 
                of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 
                successor regulation), designated to coordinate efforts 
                under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 
                U.S.C. 1681 et seq.).''.
                                 <all>