# 119-hr-9881: Higher Education Accreditation Accountability Act

119-hr-9881, Higher Education Accreditation Accountability Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-07).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9881
- As of: 2026-08-07
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9881
- Congress: 119
- Title: Higher Education Accreditation Accountability Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-22
- Sponsor: Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-07

## Summary

**This bill would tighten federal rules to ensure** **stricter oversight of accrediting agencies** and create a formal, public process for colleges that want to change their primary accrediting agency. It raises the bar for who can seek recognition and adds time limits and documentation requirements to keep oversight active.

## Provisions PRIA read

- New rules for changing accreditors: mixed, medium. If enacted, a school would have to apply to the Secretary before changing its main accreditor. The application would have to include current and proposed accreditors, the accreditation end date, reasons for the change, recent accreditation determination letters, visiting-team reports from the last…
- Stricter rules for accreditors: mixed, medium. If enacted, accrediting agencies would need to have accredited at least one school or program for the two years before applying. They would have to be legally established where they seek recognition and have enforceable standards. The Secretary could give initial recognition for up to 3 years and l…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-9881 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9881)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9881 (as of 2026-08-07).