119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · Mar 12, 2025
PROTECT Students Act of 2025
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Mar 12, 2025): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S1706-1715)
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Education
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in Senate (Mar 12, 2025)
Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories of Students Act of 2025 or the PROTECT Students Act of 2025
This 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 as
• providing 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; and
• requiring 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.
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.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text: CR S1706-1715)
Introduced in Senate
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
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.
7 citations.
PROJECT ON PREDATORY STUDENT LENDING · lobbying firm or registrant: THE SMITH-FREE GROUP, LLC
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$5,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Discussions involving H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Discussions involving 34 CFR Section 685.401, Borrower Defense to Repayment Discussions involving S. 994, the PROTECT Students Act of 2025 Monitored discussions involving reintroduction of the College Cost Reduction 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
CAREER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (FKA ASS'N OF PRIVATE SECTOR COLLEGES A · lobbying firm or registrant: CAREER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (FKA ASS'N OF PRIVATE SECTOR COLLEGES A
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 16, 2025 · issue area: Education
$100,000
Spent on own lobbying
…our Program Student Protection Act - H.R. 2271 Change of Ownership and Conversion Improvement Act - H.R. 1391 Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act of 2025 - S. 994 PROTECT Students Act of 2025
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
THE INSTITUTE FOR COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS · lobbying firm or registrant: MS. ELIZABETH STEIN
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 1, 2025 · issue area: Education
Amount not reported
S. 994 PROTECT 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. View filing
CAREER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (FKA ASS'N OF PRIVATE SECTOR COLLEGES A · lobbying firm or registrant: CAREER EDUCATION COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES (FKA ASS'N OF PRIVATE SECTOR COLLEGES A
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted May 9, 2025 · issue area: Education
$100,000
Spent on own lobbying
…our Program Student Protection Act - H.R. 2271 Change of Ownership and Conversion Improvement Act - H.R. 1391 Student Veteran Benefit Restoration Act of 2025 - S. 994 PROTECT Students Act of 2025
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 EDUCATION ASSOCIATION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted Apr 22, 2025 · issue area: Education
$650,000
Spent on own lobbying
…horization Act of 2025 S. 761 - A bill to exclude certain land from the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System. S. 810 - No Cuts to Public Schools Act S. 994 - PROTECT Students Act S. RES 96 - A concurrent resolution reaffirming Senate Resolution S. Res. 179 and House Resolution H. Res. 177 and urging the President…
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
PROJECT ON PREDATORY STUDENT LENDING · lobbying firm or registrant: THE SMITH-FREE GROUP, LLC
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted Apr 21, 2025 · issue area: Education
$20,000
Paid to lobbying firm
Discussions involving 34 CFR Section 685.401, Borrower Defense to Repayment Discussions involving S. 994, the PROTECT Students Act of 2025 Discussions involving disaster relief Monitored discussions involving reintroduction of the College Cost Reduction 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
THE INSTITUTE FOR COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS · lobbying firm or registrant: MS. ELIZABETH STEIN
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted Apr 10, 2025 · issue area: Education
Amount not reported
S. 994 PROTECT 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. View filing