# 119-s-5614: Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026

119-s-5614, Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5614
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5614
- Congress: 119
- Title: Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Remove criminal and juvenile justice questions from admissions applications** is the bill's main aim. This bill would require the Department of Education to issue guidance, training, and resources to help colleges assess and, where appropriate, drop those questions and handle any later, narrowly tailored screenings fairly and transparently. - Students with criminal or juvenile justice histories would face fewer upfront barriers on applications and would get clear chances to explain their history later in the process. - Colleges and admissions staff would receive federal guidance on when such questions are necessary, how to ask only narrowly focused questions, and how to protect privacy and avoid proxy screening. - The Department would use funds already available to provide training and technical help for admissions, financial aid, registrars, housing, and career staff. It would also create a resource center to collect best practices and research on postsecondary outcomes for justice-involved students.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Less screening for college applicants: benefit, low. If enacted, the Education Department would issue guidance to help colleges stop asking about criminal or juvenile justice histories on admissions forms when not needed. The guidance would recommend removing such questions and, if questions are kept, asking only later (for housing, clinical placemen…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5614 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5614)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5614 (as of 2026-10-17).