119th Congress · introduced in the House · Jun 20, 2025
Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Dec 18, 2025): Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 360.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Reported to House (Dec 18, 2025)
Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act
This bill revises the accreditation process for reviewing the quality of education offered by institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Under current law, an IHE seeking to participate in many federal programs (e.g., federal student aid programs) must be accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education (ED) as a reliable authority on the quality of the education being offered at the IHE. An ED-recognized accrediting agency must meet various provisions under the Higher Education Act of 1965 and in regulations.
Under this bill, states may designate an entity (e.g., an industry-specific quality assurance entity) as an accrediting agency for programs or IHEs in the state. The bill outlines the requirements for the state to submit a plan to ED and for ED to respond to the plan.
Additionally, the bill provides an accelerated path to recognition by authorizing ED to recognize new accrediting agencies within two years of their application.
ED must convene a panel of experts to develop common terminology for accrediting agencies to use in making accrediting decisions and publish those recommendations.
Further, the bill (1) requires accrediting agencies to establish specified standards for measures assessing student success (e.g., labor market outcomes), and (2) requires accrediting agencies to establish procedures for assessing compliance with agency standards that reflect an IHE's risk of losing accreditation.
The bill reauthorizes through September 30, 2028, and revises the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which advises ED on matters related to accreditation.
Show less of the summaryIncludes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 360.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-414.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and Workforce. H. Rept. 119-414.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 21 - 15.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Academic performance and assessments · Administrative remedies · Advisory bodies · Government information and archives · Higher education · Intergovernmental relations · Performance measurement · Religion · State and local government operations · Student aid and college costs · Student records · Teaching, teachers, curricula · Wages and earnings
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 24, 2026.
13 citations.
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · posted Apr 20, 2026 · issue area: Education
$77,042
Spent on own lobbying
…es Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act H.R. 3994 Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2025 H.R. 3985 Helping Student Parents Succeed Act H.R. 4054 Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act H.R. 433 Department of Education Protection Act H.R. 2003 Affordable Loans for Students Act H.R. 6392 Home School Gradu…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
2025 Q4 report (Oct 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) · amended · posted Jan 28, 2026 · issue area: Education
$33,817
Spent on own lobbying
…es Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act H.R. 3994 Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2025 H.R. 3985 Helping Student Parents Succeed Act H.R. 4054 Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act H.R. 433 Department of Education Protection Act H.R. 2003 Affordable Loans for Students Act H.R. 6392 Home School Gradu…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL ASSN OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL ASSN OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · amended · posted Jan 2, 2026 · issue area: Education
$80,000
Spent on own lobbying
…by Cole (R-OK) Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025 H.R. 2516 by Owens (R-UT) Accreditation for College Excellence (ACE) Act of 2025 H.R. 4054 by Fine (R-FL) Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act H.R.4312 - SCORE Act by Bilirakis (R-FL) SCORE Act Agencies U. S. Department of Education July 1 - Septe…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number matches Congress.gov records and the bill predates the report; no title was cited with it. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL ASSN OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL ASSN OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · amended · posted Jan 2, 2026 · issue area: Education
$200,000
Spent on own lobbying
…by Cole (R-OK) Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025 H.R. 2516 by Owens (R-UT) Accreditation for College Excellence (ACE) Act of 2025 H.R. 4054 by Fine (R-FL) Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act Agencies U. S. Department of Education April 1 - June 30, 2025 U.S. Department of EnergyApril 1 - June 3…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number matches Congress.gov records and the bill predates the report; no title was cited with it. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 20, 2025 · issue area: Education
$56,081
Spent on own lobbying
…Act of 2025 S.558 Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025 H.R. 3994 Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2025 H.R. 3985 Helping Student Parents Succeed Act H.R. 4054 Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act H.R. 433 Department of Education Protection Act H.R. 2003, Affordable Loans for Students Act Respond, Innovate, Succeed…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION · lobbying firm or registrant: AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$92,652
Spent on own lobbying
…Act of 2025 S.558 Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2025 H.R. 3994 Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2025 H.R. 3985 Helping Student Parents Succeed Act H.R. 4054 Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act H.R. 433 Department of Education Protection Act H.R. 2003, Affordable Loans for Students Act
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
WASC SENIOR COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMISSION · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$5,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues. H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS COMMISSION ON COLLEGES · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$10,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues. H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NORTHWEST COMMISSION ON COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$5,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues. H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NEW ENGLAND COMMISSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION (NECHE) · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$10,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues. H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
MIDDLE STATES COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$10,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues. H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$10,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues. H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
ACCREDITING COMMISSION FOR COLLEGES AND JUNIOR COLLEGES, WASC · lobbying firm or registrant: PENN HILL GROUP
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
Amount not reported
Accreditation issues Executive Orders and actions related to accreditation issues H.R.4054, Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, Entirety
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. View filing