United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 6 D cosponsors

HR 2899 — PROTECT Students Act of 2025

Last action — Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

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

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

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

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

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 6 sponsors

    1 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (6 D).

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

Summary

Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories of Students Act of 2025 or the PROTECT Students Act of 2025This bill sets forth provisions to address financial predatory practices in higher education, including by establishing additional protections for students and student loan borrowers.Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for Department of Education (ED) regulations related to gainful employment, borrower defense to repayment, and closed school discharges. For example, ED's 2023 gainful employment regulations specify that ED considers a career education program to be preparing students for gainful employment if it meets specified debt-to-earnings or earnings premium measures.Additionally, the bill prohibits institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs from taking specified actions, such as (1) restricting students' ability to pursue claims against IHEs in court, and (2) withholding official transcripts because of a balance owed by the student.The bill requires IHEs to spend at least 30% of their tuition and fee revenue on instruction.The bill also includes additional oversight measures, such asproviding statutory authority for an enforcement unit within ED's Office of Federal Student Aid to assess complaints against IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers; establishing the For-Profit Education Oversight Coordination Committee within the executive branch; andrequiring ED to establish and operate a system that tracks complaints or reports of suspicious activity by IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers.The bill makes funding available to ED for the administrative costs of operating student aid programs.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds new standards for debt-to-earnings and earnings premium calculations for gainful employment programs, impacting the definition and eligibility of institutions of higher education.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1001(b)

    , including that meets the standards for debt-to-earnings and earnings premium in section 498C

    This amendment adds a requirement for institutions to meet specific debt-to-earnings and earnings premium standards to be included in the definition of gainful employment.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1002(b)(1)(A)(i)

    , including that meets the standards for debt-to-earnings and earnings premium in section 498C

    This amendment modifies the definition of proprietary institutions to also require adherence to new debt-to-earnings standards.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1002(c)(1)(A)

    , including that meets the standards for debt-to-earnings and earnings premium in section 498C

    This change incorporates the debt-to-earnings standards into the definition of postsecondary vocational institutions.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1088(b)(1)(A)(i)

    , including that meets the standards for debt-to-earnings and earnings premium in section 498C

    This amendment applies the new standards to eligible programs that provide training for gainful employment.

  • 20 U.S.C. 1099c et seq.

    SEC. 498C. DEBT-TO-EARNINGS AND EARNINGS PREMIUM.

    This creates a new section that outlines definitions and standards for calculating debt-to-earnings and earnings premium rates for eligible programs.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

  4. Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 541 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (541)

541 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 541 →

"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

finance 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 HR 2899 do?
Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories of Students Act of 2025 or the PROTECT Students Act of 2025This bill sets forth provisions to address financial predatory practices in higher education, including by establishing additional protections for students and student loan borrowers.Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for Department of Education (ED) regulations related to gainful employment, borrower defense to repayment, and closed school discharges. For example, ED's 2023 gainful employment regulations specify that ED considers a career education program to be preparing students for gainful employment if it meets specified debt-to-earnings or earnings premium measures.Additionally, the bill prohibits institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs from taking specified actions, such as (1) restricting students' ability to pursue claims against IHEs in court, and (2) withholding official transcripts because of a balance owed by the student.The bill requires IHEs to spend at least 30% of their tuition and fee revenue on instruction.The bill also includes additional oversight measures, such asproviding statutory authority for an enforcement unit within ED's Office of Federal Student Aid to assess complaints against IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers; establishing the For-Profit Education Oversight Coordination Committee within the executive branch; andrequiring ED to establish and operate a system that tracks complaints or reports of suspicious activity by IHEs, third-party servicers, and student loan servicers.The bill makes funding available to ED for the administrative costs of operating student aid programs.
Who sponsors HR 2899?
HR 2899 is sponsored by Takano, Mark (Democratic), Lee, Susie (Democratic), Krishnamoorthi, Raja (Democratic), Waters, Maxine (Democratic), Adams, Alma S. (Democratic), and Meeks, Gregory W. (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 2899?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced April 10, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 2899?
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