119th Congress · introduced in the House · Jan 15, 2025
Mel’s Law
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Jan 15, 2025): Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in House (Jan 15, 2025)
Mel's Law
This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs to establish policies for awarding posthumous degrees.
Specifically, the IHE must certify that it has a policy to award a posthumous degree to a deceased student who (1) was enrolled in a degree program at the IHE; (2) died prior to completing such program; and (3) at the time of death, was in academic standing consistent with the requirements for graduation from such program (as determined by the IHE).
The bill prohibits accrediting agencies from taking into consideration the number of posthumous degrees awarded to deceased students by the IHE. (Under current law, an IHE must be accredited by an accrediting agency to participate in federal student aid programs.)
Includes 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.
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
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Higher education · School administration · Student records
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