S. 3380: Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-09-22 · Education · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-09-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2016

Plain summary

Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2016 This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to revise standards governing accreditors of institutions of higher education. ED must establish student achievement criteria that accreditors must use when evaluating an institute of higher education, including retention rate, graduation and course completion rates, cohort default rate, repayment rate, transfer rate, student earnings after graduation, and job placement rates, professional and vocational certification and licensing examination pass rates, as applicable. Further, ED must establish criteria for evaluating: (1) the affordability of the institution, (2) actions taken against the institution by any state or the federal government, and (3) enrollment levels of students receiving Pell Grants. ED must establish baseline thresholds for student achievement measures. Accreditors must require institutions to meet or exceed those thresholds. Accreditors must: (1) carry out enhanced accreditation review immediately after learning of investigations or lawsuits by federal or state governments about the institution's fraud or abuse, deceptive practices, or material harm to students; and (2) take action when there are signs of institutional instability. The bill addresses conflicts of interest between accreditors and the institutions. The bill gives ED additional authority with respect to fining or terminating accreditors. ED must establish standards for online accreditation disclosures by institutions of higher education. Accreditors may designate an institution as accredited with distinction or accredited with risk.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Accreditation Reform and Enhanced Accountability Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] reported raising $5.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s3380.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s3380 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114