U.S. Congress legislation · 119th Congress
SB5614: Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026
Status: In committee, September 30, 2026
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education on removing criminal and juvenile justice questions from their application for admissions process.
What the bill says
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education on removing criminal and juvenile justice questions from their application for admissions process.
From the introduced text, September 30, 2026:
A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education on removing criminal and juvenile justice questions from their application for admissions process. SECTION 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026 . SECTION 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) An estimated 70,000,000 people in the United States have some type of arrest or conviction record that would appear in a criminal SECTION 124. Beyond the box for higher education (a) Training and technical assistance (1) In general The Secretary, acting through the Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation of the Office of Postsecondary Education of the Department and with consultation from the Department of Justice and relevant community stakeholders, shall issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education to remove criminal and juvenile justice questions from their application for admissions process. (2) Guidance and recommendations The guidance and recommendations issued under paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) If an institution of higher education collects criminal or juvenile justice information on applicants for admission, it is recommended that the institution determine whether this information is necessary to make an informed admission decision and whether it would be appropriate to remove …
Sponsors
- Schatz, Brian (D) · primary sponsor
- Durbin, Richard (D)
- Klobuchar, Amy (D)
- Merkley, Jeff (D, SD-OR)
- Murphy, Christopher (D)
- Padilla, Alex (D, SD-CA)
- Warren, Elizabeth (D)
- Wyden, Ron (D, SD-OR)
Latest actions
- : Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- : Introduced in Senate
Subjects: Education
Common questions
- What is SB5614?
- SB5614 is a bill in Congress (119th Congress): Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2026.
- What does SB5614 do?
- In its own words: To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education on removing criminal and juvenile justice questions from their application for admissions process.
- What is the status of SB5614?
- In committee as of September 30, 2026. Latest action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (September 30, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB5614?
- Schatz, Brian (D), with 7 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB5614?
- On the Congress website: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5614
Source: official Congress record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.