# 119-hr-468: Mel’s Law

119-hr-468, Mel’s Law, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-468
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-468
- Congress: 119
- Title: Mel’s Law
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-15
- Sponsor: Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Requires colleges to adopt policies awarding posthumous degrees** to students who were enrolled, died before finishing their program, and met the institution’s academic standing for graduation. It would also prevent accreditors from counting posthumous degrees when judging an institution. - Families and survivors: Surviving family members could receive a posthumous degree when the student met the school’s graduation standards at the time of death. The final decision and process are set by each institution. - Colleges and universities: Institutions that take federal Title IV student aid would have to certify they have a posthumous degree policy to remain eligible for those programs. - Accrediting agencies and standards: Accrediting bodies would be barred from considering the number of posthumous degrees an institution awards. The accreditation change would take effect one year after enactment.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11] (R-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20] (D-FL), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2025-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-07-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New posthumous degree rules for colleges: benefit, low. This bill would require colleges that get Title IV federal student aid to certify a policy for posthumous degrees. The policy would apply if the student was enrolled, died before finishing, and was in academic standing for graduation at that time, as the school determines. Accrediting agencies woul…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1410: 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2512: Hot Foods Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-468 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/468)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1410: 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1410)
- [119-hr-2512: Hot Foods Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2512)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-468 (as of 2026-09-21).