PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Dec 1, 2017
Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform Act or the PROSPER Act
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the governance of federal financial aid provided to students pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher education (IHEs), including by:
removing restrictions on providing aid to for-profit institutions, correspondence courses, and certificate programs;
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
modifying the eligibility requirements for IHEs and students to participate in federal student aid programs;
revising accountability measures for IHEs, such as adding new measures for minority-serving institutions;
requiring IHEs to implement programs to prevent the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol by students and employees;
prohibiting aid to IHEs that deny religious student organizations the rights, benefits, or privileges that are afforded to other organizations;
limiting the Department of Education's authority to issue regulations;
revising requirements concerning sexual assault on campuses;
authorizing an industry-led apprenticeship grant program;
reauthorizing through FY2024 and revising specified programs, including the Federal Pell Grant program, the Federal Work-Study programs, and an aid program for students whose families are seasonal farm workers;
revising requirements governing the Federal TRIO programs for students from disadvantaged backgrounds;
repealing specified grant programs (e.g., the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program) and loan forgiveness programs (e.g., Public Service Loan Forgiveness) for new borrowers;
replacing the existing student loan programs (i.e., the Federal Direct Loan program and the Federal Family Education Loan program) with a single loan program (i.e., ONE loan program);
revising student loan limits for undergraduate students and establishing loan limits for graduate students; and
replacing existing student loan repayment plans with an income-based repayment plan.
People & committees
Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5] · R–NC
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 413.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. H. Rept. 115-550.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Education and the Workforce. H. Rept. 115-550.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 17.
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Jul 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.4508 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.4508 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.4508 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.4508 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.