Federal RuleAug 21
62
DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
S3589119th CongressWALLET
RISE Act
Sponsored By: Senator Banks, Jim [R-IN]
In Committee
Summary
Standardizes how colleges recognize disability status and requires clearer accommodation policies. This bill would make it easier for students to use high school and prior records to establish eligibility for campus accommodations, expand what data colleges must report about students registered with disability services, and fund a national technical support center.
Show full summary
- Students with disabilities: Students would face less paperwork when seeking campus accommodations because institutions must accept IEPs, Section 504 plans, licensed professional evaluations, prior college documentation, and service-related disability records as valid evidence.
- Colleges and disability offices: Institutions would have to post accessible, transparent policies on how they determine eligibility for reasonable accommodations and may still adopt less burdensome criteria. They must also collect and report counts of registered students and those receiving accommodations.
- Policymakers and researchers: Federal data systems like IPEDS would receive new measures on undergraduate and graduate students registered with disability services, including counts and degree awards, while excluding any small cell data that would reveal an individual.
*Authorizes $10 million per year for 2027–2031 to support a National Center, authorizing up to $50 million over five years and increasing potential federal spending by that amount.*
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Easier disability documentation for college
This bill would require colleges to treat many prior records as enough to show you have a disability. That includes IEPs, Section 504 plans, licensed professional evaluations, prior college disability records, and service-related disability documents. Colleges would have to post clear, accessible rules about how they decide who gets accommodations and share the information during orientation and on their websites. The bill would also say it does not change ADA or Section 504 meanings or remedies, but it would change a Higher Education Act cross-reference that could alter who counts as disabled under HEA rules.
National college disability support funding
The bill would authorize $10,000,000 per year to create a National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities for fiscal years 2027 through 2031. That is $50,000,000 in total authorizations across those five years. The authorization would not itself appropriate money; Congress would still need to provide the funds.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 1/8/2026
Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO]
MO • R
Sponsored 1/13/2026
Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
ME • R
Sponsored 2/9/2026
Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
ME • I
Sponsored 7/20/2026
Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 7/23/2026
Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 7/27/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov