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H.R.8994 / 116th Congress

Restoring Students’ Right to Appeal Act of 2020

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Dec 16, 2020

Restoring Students' Right to Appeal Act of 2020

This bill permits individuals who filed a complaint between March 5-November 18, 2018, with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Education and who received an investigative determination of insufficient evidence, to file an appeal with the OCR. (In March 2018, the OCR revised its procedures for investigating and resolving civil rights complaints. One revision included removing the process for appealing insufficient evidence determinations. The OCR reversed this decision in its November 2018 update.)

Further, the bill requires the OCR to conduct outreach to inform individuals of their right to appeal.

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Who introduced it

Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] · D–IL

Committees

  • Education and Workforce Committee
7 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jul 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Objective

Analyze H.R.8994 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.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

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