Title: Transparency in Off-Campus Housing Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Transparency in Off-Campus Housing Act
This bill requires the Department of Education to issue regulations prescribing a methodology that institutions of higher education shall use to determine the allowance for room and board costs incurred by students who live off-campus.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4648 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4648

   To improve estimates of off-campus room and board for students at 
       institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 11, 2019

  Mr. Horsford (for himself and Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve estimates of off-campus room and board for students at 
       institutions of higher education, 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 ``Transparency in Off-Campus Housing 
Act''.

SEC. 2. INSTITUTIONAL CALCULATIONS FOR OFF-CAMPUS ROOM AND BOARD.

    (a) Authority To Prescribe Regulations.--Section 478(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087rr(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph 
                (A);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of 
                subparagraph (B) and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) to prescribe--
                            ``(i) at least one methodology that 
                        institutions of higher education (other than 
                        institutions that receive a waiver under clause 
                        (ii)) shall use in determining the allowance 
                        for room and board costs incurred by students 
                        described in subparagraph (A) of section 472(3) 
                        and by students described in subparagraph (D) 
                        of such section, that shall--
                                    ``(I) ensure that each such 
                                allowance determination is sufficient 
                                to cover reasonable room and board 
                                costs incurred by the students for whom 
                                such allowance is being determined; and
                                    ``(II) include the sources of 
                                information that institutions shall use 
                                in making each such allowance 
                                determination; and
                            ``(ii) a process for granting institutions 
                        of higher education a waiver from the 
                        requirements of clause (i), including--
                                    ``(I) a requirement that each 
                                institution of higher education seeking 
                                such a waiver submit to the Secretary--
                                            ``(aa) a description of the 
                                        methodology that the 
                                        institution will use for each 
                                        allowance determination 
                                        described in clause (i);
                                            ``(bb) an assurance that 
                                        each such allowance 
                                        determination meets the 
                                        requirements of clause (i)(I); 
                                        and
                                            ``(cc) a demonstration that 
                                        the institution will use 
                                        reliable sources of information 
                                        for each such allowance 
                                        determination; and
                                    ``(II) a requirement that each 
                                institution of higher education that 
                                receives such a waiver publicly 
                                disclose on the website of the 
                                institution the methodology and sources 
                                of information used by the institution 
                                for each allowance determination 
                                described in clause (i).''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Any regulation proposed by the Secretary under 
        paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection shall not be subject to the 
        requirements of paragraph (2).''.
    (b) Requirement To Prescribe Regulations.--Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 
shall issue regulations that meet the requirements of subparagraph (C) 
of section 478(a)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087rr(a)(1)), as added by subsection (a).
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