Dive Brief:

• Democrats have proposed legislation that would improve coordination of the U.S. Department of Education and other federal and state agencies that oversee for-profit colleges
• The Proprietary Education Oversight Coordination Improvement Act would create an oversight panel with representatives from nine federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Among its duties, the oversight committee would compile information about student outcomes and publish a list of institutions with evidence they engaged in fraud.

Dive Insight:

Good luck getting this passed in Congress, with staunch Republican opposition to attempts to regulate the for-profit college industry. Three Democrats are introducing the bill: Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate education committee, Sen. Richard Durbin, Iowa, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland. While it might also seem odd that the Department of Defense would be involved, it's also important to remember that a significant number of military and their family members enroll in these for-profit schools, so protecting them from fraud would fall under the DOD's interests.