Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act

Bill: 119-hr-1176
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Smucker, Lloyd [R-PA-11]
Introduced: 2025-02-10
Policy area: Education
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-10
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-10
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act</strong></p><p>This bill provides statutory authority for the 150% rule, which allows an educational program that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation to maintain eligibility for federal student aid funding if the program operates within 150% of the state's minimum hours requirement for licensure.&nbsp;</p><p>The Department of Education (ED) previously enforced the 150% rule through regulations.&nbsp;ED proposed a new regulation to rescind the 150% rule and instead limit the length of these programs to 100% of the state's minimum required hours. This revised regulation was set to take effect on July 1, 2024; however, a court imposed a temporary injunction to halt the regulation from taking effect.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1176 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 10, 2025 Mr. Smucker (for himself, Mr. Owens , Mr. Meuser , Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania , and Mr. Van Orden ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to clarify the clock hour requirements for certain eligible programs under title IV of such Act.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Clock Hour Program Student Protection Act . 2. Clock hour requirements for certain programs of training (a) In general Section 481(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1088(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (5) An otherwise eligible program that provides a program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized profession in a State, and for which the number of clock hours of instruction exceeds the minimum number of clock hours of instruction required by such State for training in the recognized profession for which the otherwise eligible program prepares students, shall be determined to be an eligible program under this subsection if the number of clock hours of instruction provided by such otherwise eligible program does not exceed the greater of— (A) 150 percent of the minimum number of clock hours required by such State for training in the recognized profession for which the otherwise eligible program prepares students; or (B) 150 percent of the minimum number of clock hours required by a Federal agency for such training. . (b) Effective date The amendment made by this section shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act, and shall apply with respect to award year 2024–2025, and each succeeding award year.