Proprietary Education Oversight Task Force Act
Sponsored By: Senator Richard Durbin
Introduced
Summary
Creates a federal interagency oversight system for proprietary (for‑profit) colleges that receive Federal education assistance. It centralizes complaints, requires an annual public data report, and publishes a yearly For‑Profit College Warning List to inform students and parents.
Show full summary
- Students and borrowers gain a single toll‑free number and website to file complaints and access non‑personally identifiable annual data on debt, graduation, default, and job outcomes.
- Veterans and service members see their issues better tracked because the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs data are included where practicable and a veterans service organization sits on the advisory committee.
- Parents, consumer advocates, and regulators get a plain‑language annual Warning List naming institutions tied to lawsuits, debts, suspended eligibility, or borrower‑defense claims, plus detailed public reporting for publicly traded proprietary colleges on profits, recruiting spend, instruction spend, and executive pay.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Oversight and complaint system for for-profit colleges
If enacted, this would create a federal interagency committee led by the Education Secretary to oversee for-profit colleges. The committee would meet at least once each fiscal quarter and coordinate data sharing, investigations, and enforcement across Federal and State agencies. The bill would also create a 13-member advisory committee that must meet at least twice per year and include State attorney general representatives, students, veterans groups, accreditors, consumer advocates, and a for‑profit institution representative. If enacted, the Department would set up one toll-free number, a website, and a complaints database to route student complaints to the right agencies, with privacy and data‑security rules and a notice telling complainants how their information may be used.
Public reports and warning list for colleges
If enacted, the committee would publish one public annual report to Congress with industry‑wide, non‑PII data about for‑profit colleges. The report would include retention and graduation rates, cohort default and debt‑to‑earnings figures, median Federal debt for completers and noncompleters, job placement by field, licensing exam pass rates, completion within standard and 150% time, cost of attendance by program, pre‑enrollment and instructional spending, and private loan counts and lender breakdowns. For publicly traded for‑profit colleges the report would also show pre‑tax profits, revenue shares for recruiting versus instruction and student support, executive pay, and institutional loan program details. If enacted, the Secretary would also publish an annual For‑Profit College Warning List by July 1 naming institutions that meet listed legal or program‑eligibility problems, give plain‑language reasons, exclude personal data, and provide institutions a notice and written response opportunity before final publication. The bill would define key terms used for reporting and enforcement, like "federal education assistance," "institutional debt," and "negative or adverse action."
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Richard Durbin
IL • D
Cosponsors
Richard Blumenthal
CT • D
Sponsored 3/11/2026
Jeff Merkley
OR • D
Sponsored 3/11/2026
Adam Schiff
CA • D
Sponsored 3/11/2026
Tina Smith
MN • D
Sponsored 3/11/2026
Elizabeth Warren
MA • D
Sponsored 3/11/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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