In November 2018, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) proposed new Title IX regulations concerning sexual harassment, including sexual assault, and received over 100,000 comments during the public comment period. As of today, the regulations have not been finalized. However, four congresspersons recently introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would prohibit implementation of the proposed Title IX regulations.
The bill, H.R. 5388, introduced by Representative Elissa Slotkin and co-sponsored by Representatives Ayanna Pressley, Jackie Speier, and Annie Kuster, provides that “the Secretary of Education may not issue or enforce certain rules that weaken the enforcement of the prohibition of sex discrimination applicable under Title IX.” Specifically, the bill states that the Secretary of Education may not (1) take any action to implement, enforce, and/or give effect to the proposed regulations, or (2) propose or issue any rule or guidance that is substantially the same as the proposed regulations. Rep. Slotkin’s press release states that the new regulations “could have a chilling effect on students’ willingness to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and would be a detriment to survivors and to students in general and the academic institutions they attend.”
