HR6857-119

What This Bill Does

The Protecting Students on Campus Act creates a Title VI complaint-awareness and oversight system for institutions of higher education receiving federal funds. The Education Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, must run a public awareness campaign on rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, with accessible visual and auditory materials updated annually and distributed to colleges for physical posting in high-traffic locations and digital posting on high-traffic web pages. Institutions must prominently display on their homepage a link to the Education Office for Civil Rights complaint page for discrimination based on race, color, or national origin and annually display the campaign materials. For one year after enactment, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights must brief Congress monthly on the number of Title VI complaints received in the prior month, the basis of discrimination, planned response, investigations opened, and complaint pendency, with a written report at least 48 hours before each briefing. Federally funded institutions must submit annual reports to the Education Inspector General on Title VI complaints received, complaint substance, and institutional action. The Inspector General must audit schools in the top 5 percent by per-capita complaints and study why complaints submitted to institutions differ from complaints submitted to OCR.

Who Benefits and How

Students facing race, color, or national-origin discrimination benefit from more visible complaint links, accessible campaign materials, and federal oversight. Civil rights advocates benefit from more complaint data and audit triggers. Congressional committees benefit from monthly briefings and written reports. Education Office for Civil Rights staff benefit from clearer public awareness duties but also receive more complaint visibility.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Colleges and universities receiving federal funds must display complaint links, post campaign materials, and file annual Title VI reports. Education Office for Civil Rights staff must create the campaign and brief Congress monthly for one year. Education Inspector General staff must collect institutional reports, audit the top 5 percent of institutions by per-capita complaints, and study complaint-reporting disparities. Institutions with high complaint rates face audit and possible OCR referral risk.

Key Provisions

• Requires Education to run and annually update a public Title VI awareness campaign for higher education.
• Requires federally funded institutions to post OCR complaint links and campaign materials in high-traffic places.
• Requires monthly congressional briefings and written reports on Title VI complaints for one year.
• Requires annual institutional reports to the Education Inspector General on Title VI complaints and responses.
• Requires audits of institutions in the top 5 percent of per-capita Title VI complaints.