United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 4 D · 3 R cosponsors

S 163 — Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025

Last action — Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 7 sponsors

    1 primary, 6 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (4 D · 3 R) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in federal student aid programs to distribute information on how to report alleged violations of civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs or activities.)Specifically, the bill requires ED's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to conduct a public awareness campaign regarding the rights of individuals under Title VI. This campaign must be updated annually and distributed to IHEs.The bill requires an IHE to post a link on its website on how to file a Title VI complaint with OCR. Additionally, the IHE must annually post the materials from OCR's public awareness campaign. The information must be posted in high-traffic public places on campus (e.g., student centers) and high-traffic websites (e.g., the website for student services). OCR must give monthly congressional briefings on (1) the number of complaints filed with OCR, (2) how OCR plans to address those complaints and the investigations opened in response to those complaints, and (3) how long those complaints remain open. Additionally, the bill prohibits OCR from closing or dismissing a complaint due to resolution via another agency or avenue. The bill also requires annual reporting by IHEs on discrimination complaints. Further, the bill directs ED's Office of Inspector General to audit and study discrimination complaints.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

  3. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Committee consideration and Mark Up Session held.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 6 co-sponsors · 540 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (6)

Not signed on (540)

540 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 540 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 163 do?
Protecting Students on Campus Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in federal student aid programs to distribute information on how to report alleged violations of civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs or activities.)Specifically, the bill requires ED's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to conduct a public awareness campaign regarding the rights of individuals under Title VI. This campaign must be updated annually and distributed to IHEs.The bill requires an IHE to post a link on its website on how to file a Title VI complaint with OCR. Additionally, the IHE must annually post the materials from OCR's public awareness campaign. The information must be posted in high-traffic public places on campus (e.g., student centers) and high-traffic websites (e.g., the website for student services). OCR must give monthly congressional briefings on (1) the number of complaints filed with OCR, (2) how OCR plans to address those complaints and the investigations opened in response to those complaints, and (3) how long those complaints remain open. Additionally, the bill prohibits OCR from closing or dismissing a complaint due to resolution via another agency or avenue. The bill also requires annual reporting by IHEs on discrimination complaints. Further, the bill directs ED's Office of Inspector General to audit and study discrimination complaints.
Who sponsors S 163?
S 163 is sponsored by Fetterman, John (Democratic), Collins, Susan M. (Republican), Rosen, Jacky (Democratic), Gillibrand, Kirsten E. (Democratic), Cortez Masto, Catherine (Democratic), McCormick, David (Republican), and Cassidy, Bill (Republican).
What is the current status of S 163?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 21, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 163?
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