[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6914 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6914

To require institutions of higher education to disseminate information 
   on the rights of, and accommodations and resources for, pregnant 
                   students, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 2024

               Mrs. Hinson introduced the following bill

                            January 9, 2024

        Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require institutions of higher education to disseminate information 
   on the rights of, and accommodations and resources for, pregnant 
                   students, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Pregnant Students' Rights Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Female students enrolled at institutions of higher 
        education and experiencing an unplanned pregnancy may face 
        pressure that their only option is to receive an abortion or 
        risk academic failure.
            (2) Almost 30 percent of all abortions in the United States 
        are performed on women of college age, between the ages of 20 
        and 24, according to a 2021 report by the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention.
            (3) A significant proportion of abortions in the United 
        States are performed on women of college age who may be unaware 
        of their rights to accommodation and prohibitions against 
        discrimination due to pregnancy under title IX of the Education 
        Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) or deprived of 
        information about abortion alternatives.
            (4) Additionally, women on college campuses may fear 
        institutional reprisal, loss of athletic scholarship, and 
        possible negative impact on academic opportunities during the 
        pregnancy and after childbirth.
            (5) An academic disparity exists because of the lack of 
        resources, support, and notifications available for female 
        college students who do not wish to receive an abortion or who 
        carry their unborn babies to term.

SEC. 3. NOTICE OF PREGNANT STUDENT RIGHTS, ACCOMMODATIONS, AND 
              RESOURCES.

    Section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(n) Pregnant Students' Rights, Accommodations, and Resources.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each institution of higher education 
        participating in any program under this title shall carry out 
        the information dissemination activities described in paragraph 
        (3) for prospective and enrolled students (including those 
        attending or planning to attend less than full time) regarding 
        the information described in paragraph (2) on the rights of, 
        and resources (including protections and accommodations) for, 
        pregnant students and students who may become pregnant while 
        enrolled at such institution of higher education.
            ``(2) Information content.--The information on the rights 
        of, and resources (including protections and accommodations) 
        for, pregnant students and students who may become pregnant 
        described in this paragraph shall include--
                    ``(A) a list of resources on campus and in the 
                community that exist to help a pregnant student in 
                carrying the baby to term and caring for the baby after 
                birth;
                    ``(B) information about the accommodations 
                available to help a pregnant student carry the baby to 
                term and parent the baby after birth; and
                    ``(C) information on how to file a complaint with--
                            ``(i) the Department of Education, if a 
                        student believes there was a violation by the 
                        institution of title IX of the Education 
                        Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) on 
                        account of such student's pregnancy, including 
                        a failure to accommodate such pregnancy, or 
                        childbirth; and
                            ``(ii) the institution, if a student 
                        believes the student has been discriminated 
                        against in violation of such title IX on 
                        account of the student's pregnancy or 
                        childbirth.
            ``(3) Information dissemination activities.--The 
        information dissemination activities described in this 
        paragraph shall include--
                    ``(A) an email to each enrolled student at the 
                start of each period of study during an academic year; 
                and
                    ``(B) the provision of information--
                            ``(i) in student handbooks, if any;
                            ``(ii) at each orientation for enrolled 
                        students;
                            ``(iii) at student health or counseling 
                        centers, if any; and
                            ``(iv) on the publicly available website of 
                        the institution of higher education.''.
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