Diploma Integrity Protection Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-773
Sponsor: Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]
Introduced: 2007-01-31 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Accreditation (Education)
Administrative procedure
Admission of nonimmigrants
Colleges
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer education
Consumer protection
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal investigation
Deceptive advertising
Directories
Economics and Public Finance
Educational accountability
Employee selection
Expedited congressional procedure
Federal Trade Commission
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal employees
Foreign students
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Higher education
House rules and procedure
Immigration
Independent regulatory commissions
Internet
Law
Legislation
Planning
Prosecution
Restrictive trade practices
Scholarships
Science, Technology, Communications
Senate rules and procedure
State laws
Student aid
Student loan funds
Visas
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: 
Diploma Integrity Protection Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make available to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the heads of other appropriate federal agencies a list of: (1) accrediting agencies and associations recognized by the Secretary or by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; (2) institutions of higher education eligible under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program; and (3) foreign institutions of higher education whose authority to issue degrees is accepted in their home country and that the Secretary deems to be academically equivalent to FFEL participants in this country.
 
Conditions a school's eligibility for student assistance funding under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 on its providing notice on its internet website of its recognition by the Secretary as a legitimate degree-granting institution for immigration and federal employment purposes. Requires an accreditation agency or association to be on such list for its authority to be recognized for any federal purpose.
 
Requires the Secretary to establish the Diploma Mill Task Force to develop: (1) guidelines for distinguishing between legitimate and fraudulent degree-granting institutions for federal purposes; (2) a strategic diploma integrity protection plan to address the sale and use of fraudulent degrees; and (3) legislative language to effectuate such plan.
 
Directs the Federal Trade Commission to define as an unfair and deceptive act or practice: (1) the offering of a degree by an entity that is not recognized as a legitimate degree-granting institution in accordance with the Task Force's guidelines; or (2) the issuing of any accreditation by an entity not recognized by the Secretary, any other appropriate federal agency, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, or, in the case of a foreign entity, by the appropriate agency in its home country.
 
Requires the Secretary to study: (1) both legitimate and fraudulent degree-granting institutions that are not properly accredited; and (2) steps taken by the Secretary to repair vulnerabilities of the FFEL program to fraudulent degree-granting institutions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-05-18
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.
action_date: 2007-03-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
action_date: 2007-02-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, the Judiciary, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-01-31
text: Introduced in House