[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2117 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 2117


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 29, 2012

     Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To prohibit the Department of Education from overreaching into academic 
affairs and program eligibility under title IV of the Higher Education 
                              Act of 1965.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Academic Freedom in 
Higher Education Act''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF REGULATIONS RELATING TO STATE AUTHORIZATION AND 
              DEFINING CREDIT HOUR.

    (a) Regulations Repealed.--
            (1) Repeal.--The following regulations (including any 
        supplement or revision to such regulations) are repealed and 
        shall have no legal effect:
                    (A) State authorization.--Sections 600.4(a)(3), 
                600.5(a)(4), 600.6(a)(3), 600.9, and 668.43(b) of title 
                34, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to State 
                authorization), as added or amended by the final 
                regulations published by the Department of Education in 
                the Federal Register on October 29, 2010 (75 Fed. Reg. 
                66832 et seq.).
                    (B) Definition of credit hour.--The definition of 
                the term ``credit hour'' in section 600.2 of title 34, 
                Code of Federal Regulations, as added by the final 
                regulations published by the Department of Education in 
                the Federal Register on October 29, 2010 (75 Fed. Reg. 
                66946), and clauses (i)(A), (ii), and (iii) of 
                subsection (k)(2) of section 668.8 of such title, as 
                amended by such final regulations (75 Fed. Reg. 66949 
                et seq.).
            (2) Effect of repeal.--To the extent that regulations 
        repealed by paragraph (1) amended regulations that were in 
        effect on June 30, 2011, the provisions of the regulations that 
        were in effect on June 30, 2011, and were so amended are 
        restored and revived as if the regulations repealed by 
        paragraph (1) had not taken effect.
    (b) Regulations Defining Credit Hour Prohibited.--The Secretary of 
Education shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation or rule that 
defines the term ``credit hour'' for any purpose under the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 on or after the date of enactment of this 
section.

            Passed the House of Representatives February 28, 2012.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.