[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4903 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4903
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require reporting of
certain accidents resulting in serious physical injuries or death at
institutions of higher education, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 26, 2023
Mr. Courtney (for himself, Mr. Himes, Ms. Mace, and Mr. Fitzpatrick)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require reporting of
certain accidents resulting in serious physical injuries or death at
institutions of higher education, 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 ``College Operational Reporting of
Emergencies involving teens and Young adults Safety Act of 2023'' or
the ``COREY Safety Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Accidental injuries are estimated to be the leading
cause of student death at institutions of higher education.
(2) A substantial and critical void exists in the data
collected, and metrics used, to identify, manage, and minimize
serious physical injury and death on the campuses of
institutions of higher education.
(3) Expanding transparency by the reporting of accidents
that lead to serious physical injuries or death in institution
of higher education communities will allow more informed
decision making.
(4) The data gathered from such reports will also--
(A) help institutions of higher education
prioritize all angles of safety;
(B) help public health agencies conduct research on
injury and fatality prevention among postsecondary
students; and
(C) inform larger-scale reforms at the Federal and
State levels to improve campus safety.
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CLERY ACT TO ACCIDENTS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
PHYSICAL INJURY OR DEATH.
(a) Reporting of Accident Statistics.--Section 485(f) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) through (J)
as subparagraphs (J) through (M), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the
following:
``(G) Statistics concerning the occurrence on campus during
the most recent calendar year, and during the 2 preceding
calendar years for which data are available, of accidents that
result in serious physical injury, in the aggregate and
disaggregated by the following categories:
``(i) Transportation on foot or via bikes,
scooters, skateboards, longboards, or motor vehicles.
``(ii) Slips and falls, in the aggregate and from
low heights, mid heights, and high heights.
``(iii) Alcohol or drug overdoses.
``(iv) Choking or drowning.
``(v) Any other specific category of accidents
identified by the institution.
``(vi) All other accidents.
``(H) Statistics concerning the occurrence on campus during
the most recent calendar year, and during the 2 preceding
calendar years for which data are available, of accidents that
result in death, in the aggregate and disaggregated by the
categories described in clauses (i) through (vi) of
subparagraph (G).
``(I) A description of any plans to address deficient or
dangerous facilities on campus (as defined in paragraph (6)(A))
that have caused serious physical injury (as defined in such
paragraph) or death.'';
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``paragraph (1)(F)'' and
inserting ``subparagraphs (F), (G), and (H) of paragraph (1)'';
and
(3) in paragraph (6)(A)--
(A) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and
(B) by inserting after clause (iv) the following:
``(v) The term `serious physical injury' means physical
injury that creates a substantial risk of death, or that causes
serious disfigurement, serious impairment of health or serious
loss, or impairment of the function of any bodily organ.''.
(b) Reporting Closest Trauma Centers.--Section 485(f)(1) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)(1)), as amended by
subsection (a)(1)(A), is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(N)(i) A statement including the names, addresses, and
distances from campus of--
``(I) the Level I trauma center closest to the
campus of the institution; and
``(II) the Level II trauma center, or other
hospital, that is closest to the campus of the
institution.
``(ii) In addition to including the statement described in
clause (i) in the annual campus safety report required under
this paragraph, the institution shall post such statement
prominently on campus and on the website of the institution.''.
(c) Making Campus Safety Information Publicly Available.--The
matter preceding subparagraph (A) of section 485(f)(1) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)(1)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and to any applicant'' and inserting ``to
any applicant'';
(2) by inserting ``and to the public through the public
website of the institution,'' after ``upon request,''; and
(3) by striking ``annual security report'' and all that
follows through the colon and inserting ``annual campus safety
report. The annual campus safety report shall be written and
organized in a manner that is easily understandable by students
and families and shall contain at least the following
information with respect to the campus security policies and
campus crime and safety statistics of that institution:''.
(d) Updating Campus Safety Report Title.-- Section 485 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(O), by striking ``campus crime
report'' and inserting ``campus safety report''; and
(2) in the subsection heading of subsection (f), by
inserting ``and Safety'' before ``Statistics''.
(e) Guidance.--By not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall issue guidance
to institutions of higher education regarding the implementation of the
amendments made by this section.
<all>