H.R. 468 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Mel’s Law
Cosponsors: 6 (4 D, 2 R) · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-12
Introduced: 2025-01-15
Latest action (2025-01-15): Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
What H.R. 468 does, in plain terms
Mel's Law This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student aid programs to establish policies for awarding posthumous degrees. Specifically, the IHE must certify that it has a policy to award a posthumous degree to a deceased student who (1) was enrolled in a degree program at the IHE; (2) died prior to completing such program; and (3) at the time of death, was in academic standing consistent with the requirements for graduation from such program (as determined by the IHE). The bill prohibits accrediting agencies from taking into consideration the number of posthumous degrees awarded to deceased students by the IHE. (Under current law, an IHE must be accredited by an accrediting agency to participate in federal student aid programs.)
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
Constitution Index
“VFA Constitution grade”
Not graded yet
H.R. 468 has not been graded yet. New measures with an official summary are graded daily under the published rubric.
What should pass
“VFA SI Solution”
No solution yet
A sourced SI draft appears here once it passes automated checks (Constitution citation, source verification, independent SI critic). How publication works.
For journalists and bloggers
“Embed this grade”
Free to use with the link back. The badge and card update when the grade changes. Embed terms →
