HR-6498-119
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 395.
Sponsored by Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
What it does
The bill would require the Education Secretary, within 18 months of the effective date, to post expanded data on the College Scorecard website and to create a Universal Net Price Calculator. The data would cover costs, aid, debt, repayment, completion and earnings, by institution and program of study, broken out by student characteristics such as income, race, sex and disability, with privacy protections. Colleges that receive Title IV federal student aid funds would have to post a net price calculator on their own websites within two years of the federal tool being made available to them. They could use the federal tool or their own, if it includes the same data elements. The bill would define "program of study," require cost-of-attendance disclosures by program, repeal the Early Estimator tool, and replace "College Navigator" with "College Scorecard" in federal law. It would take effect July 1, 2027.
Who benefits
Prospective students and families, who could compare estimated net prices and outcomes across schools and programs. High school counselors and financial aid advisers, who would have one standardized tool. Researchers and policymakers, who would get downloadable program-level data. Colleges with strong outcomes or low net prices, which could be easier to identify and compare.
Who is hurt
Colleges and universities that receive Title IV funds, which would face compliance and data-reporting costs and would have to post a net price calculator. Institutions with high net prices or weak earnings or repayment results, which could look less attractive in comparisons. The Education Department, which would take on new development and maintenance work and may need funding. Students whose estimates turn out lower than actual costs, since estimates would be non-binding and may change. Some privacy concerns could arise for small programs, despite the required disclosure-limitation techniques.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that families now face inconsistent, hard-to-compare college price information, and that a single calculator using program-level data would show the net price of completing a degree, not just one year's cost. They contend that earnings, debt and repayment data by program, with required consumer testing and privacy safeguards, would help students choose where to enroll and would encourage colleges to compete on value.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill would add new reporting and calculator mandates on colleges, with costs that may be passed on to students, and that program-level disaggregation by race, income and disability could risk re-identifying individuals in small programs. They contend that net price estimates based on past averages and projected changes may mislead families, and that the Education Department's capacity to deliver these tools within 18 months is uncertain.
Constitutional context
Congress acts under the Spending Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 1) by attaching disclosure conditions to institutions' participation in Title IV federal student aid, which South Dakota v. Dole (1987) permits if conditions are clearly stated, related to the federal interest, and not coercive. The bill raises no other significant constitutional question, though the disclosure requirements could draw only minimal compelled-speech scrutiny of factual commercial information.
Checks and balances
The bill expands the Education Department's executive duties and gives the Secretary some discretion over question design, data adjustments and format; Congress retains oversight and appropriations control, and courts could review agency implementation.
Historical precedent
The 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act required colleges to post net price calculators, and the Department launched College Scorecard in 2015 and College Navigator earlier; this bill would consolidate and expand those tools.