# 114-hr-3992: Students Before Profits Act of 2015

114-hr-3992, Students Before Profits Act of 2015, is a 114th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43] (D-CA); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3992
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 114-hr-3992
- Congress: 114
- Title: Students Before Profits Act of 2015
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
- Introduced: 2015-11-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 15
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Students Before Profits Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to recalculate the cohort default rate and redetermine title IV eligibility for an institution of higher education (IHE) that engages in default manipulation. ED may impose enhanced civil penalties and sanctions on IHEs and officers for substantial misrepresentation or other serious violations of title IV requirements. The bill requires ED to establish the Student Relief Fund, financed by civil penalties, to provide financial relief to students enrolled in an IHE that is sanctioned or fails to comply with title IV requirements. If ED takes an enforcement action (e.g., heightened financial oversight) against a proprietary (i.e., for-profit) IHE, then ED may hold the executive officer of such proprietary IHE personally liable for financial losses related to the enforcement action. Additionally, ED may pursue claims against an IHE's executive officers and board of directors to recover discharged federal student loans. A proprietary IHE must, as a condition of continued eligibility to participate in title IV programs, prohibit an individual who defrauds students from being a member of the board of directors or an executive officer of the institution.

## Cosponsors (15)

- Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hahn, Janice [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- MICHAEL HONDA (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- JIM MCDERMOTT (D-WA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9] (D-TX), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] (D-OH), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Edwards, Donna F. [D-MD-4] (D-MD), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika virus.
- 114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act
- 114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act
- 114-hr-2867: Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015
- 114-hr-2737: Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015
- 114-hr-2150: Raise the Wage Act

## Sources
- [114-hr-3992 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3992)

## Related
- [114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika viru…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5044)
- [114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4592)
- [114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4479)
- [114-hr-2867: Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-2867)
- [114-hr-2737: Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-2737)
- [114-hr-2150: Raise the Wage Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-2150)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3992 (as of 2025-11-18).