Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act

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Bill ID: 119/hr/6472
Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Sponsored by

Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large]

ID: M001219

Follow the money

The bill

Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act

HR. 6472, 119th Congress — read as touching For-Profit Education & Student Loans.

The sponsor

Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$55,750 raised

23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

55% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Department of Education" section, p. 383-385 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

March 8, 2026

Introduced

Committee Review

Floor Action

Passed House

Senate Review

📍 Current Status

Next: Both chambers must agree on the same version of the bill.

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act (HR 6472) claims to provide in-state tuition rates for residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands. How noble. But don't be fooled – this bill is a classic case of "treat the symptom, not the disease."

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 by inserting a new section (135A) that prohibits public institutions from charging out-of-state tuition rates to covered individuals. Sounds simple enough, but let's examine the fine print. The definition of "covered individual" is carefully crafted to exclude anyone who might actually need help – only U.S. nationals residing in these territories are eligible. Conveniently, this excludes many students who would benefit most from reduced tuition.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved: politicians seeking to curry favor with their constituents, institutions of higher education looking for more federal funding, and the perennially gullible taxpayers who foot the bill. But let's not forget the real stakeholders – the students themselves. Will they actually benefit from this legislation? Unlikely.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. It doesn't address the underlying issues of inadequate funding, lack of access to quality education, or the crippling student debt that plagues our nation. Instead, it provides a token gesture of support for a select few, while ignoring the systemic problems that perpetuate inequality.

In reality, this bill is a cynical attempt to buy votes and curry favor with special interest groups. The politicians sponsoring this legislation are more concerned with their re-election prospects than with genuinely addressing the needs of students in these territories.

Diagnosis: Legislative Theater-itis – a chronic condition characterized by grandstanding, empty promises, and a complete disregard for the well-being of constituents. Treatment: a healthy dose of skepticism, followed by a strong prescription of critical thinking and a dash of outrage.

Prognosis: This bill will likely pass, but its impact will be negligible. The real disease – a corrupt system that prioritizes politics over people – will continue to metastasize, leaving students and taxpayers to suffer the consequences.

Related Topics

Education & Student Aid
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$55,750
21 donors
PACs
$5,000
Organizations
$250
Committees
$2,000
Individuals
$48,500
1
EYE OF THE TIGER PAC
1 transaction
$5,000
1
ROBERT J. TORRES TRUST
1 transaction
$250
1
JOHNSON FOR LOUISIANA
1 transaction
$2,000
1
FLORES, PHILIP J.
2 transactions
$6,000
2
MOYLAN, TROY K.
2 transactions
$5,500
3
MOYLAN, JUDITH A.
1 transaction
$3,300
4
ANDERSON, KIM FELL
1 transaction
$3,300
5
HABECK, TERRY W
1 transaction
$3,300
6
YSRAEL, MICHAEL
1 transaction
$3,300
7
YSRAEL, THERESA
1 transaction
$3,300
8
SGRO, ANTHONY P
1 transaction
$3,000
9
CASTRO, CASEY L.
1 transaction
$2,500
10
FELIX, CHRISTOPHER K.
1 transaction
$2,000
11
ALCORN, LUCY
1 transaction
$2,000
12
SGRO, ANTHONY PETER
1 transaction
$2,000
13
SGRO, MICHAEL
1 transaction
$2,000
14
TAN, JERRY
1 transaction
$2,000
15
ALCORN, LUCY M.
1 transaction
$1,500
16
LEON GUERRERO, PAUL D
1 transaction
$1,500
17
CASSIDY, MICHAEL C.
1 transaction
$1,000
18
CASSIDY, WEST LG
1 transaction
$1,000

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 5 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Del. Radewagen, Aumua Amata Coleman [R-AS-At Large]

ID: R000600

Top Contributors

0

No contribution data available

Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large]

ID: K000404

Top Contributors

0

No contribution data available

Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large]

ID: H001103

Top Contributors

0

No contribution data available

Del. Plaskett, Stacey E. [D-VI-At Large]

ID: P000610

Top Contributors

10

1
AK-CHIN INDIAN COMMUNITY
OrganizationMARICOPA, AZ
$1,000
Sep 20, 2024
2
DOWNS, PAUL RICHARD
TYCHEROS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT • CEO
IndividualCHRISTIANSTED, VI
$6,600
Apr 18, 2023
3
DOWNS, PAUL RICHARD
IndividualCHRISTIANSTED, VI
$6,600
Apr 23, 2023
4
WELTERS, ANTHONY
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualMCLEAN, VA
$3,300
Dec 31, 2023
5
HOLT, JOEL H.
SELF EMPLOYED • LAWYER
IndividualCHRISTIANSTED, VI
$3,300
Oct 7, 2024
6
HOLT, JACQUELINE L.
RETIRED • RETIRED
IndividualCHRISTIANSTED, VI
$3,300
Oct 7, 2024
7
HENRY, SUDAFI
THEGROUP • ATTORNEY
IndividualTAKOMA PARK, MD
$3,300
Jan 18, 2024
8
THOMPSON, DARREL
THEGROUP • CONSULTANT
IndividualWASHINGTON, DC
$3,300
Jan 18, 2024
9
SKURNIK, MICHAEL
SELF • WHOLESALE WINE DISTRIBUTORS
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Apr 10, 2023
10
SKURNIK, MICHAEL
SELF • WHOLESALE WINE DISTRIBUTORS
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Apr 10, 2023

Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]

ID: C001112

Top Contributors

10

1
PECHANGA BAND OF LUISENO INDIANS
OrganizationTEMECULA, CA
$3,300
Oct 18, 2023
2
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationHIGHLAND, CA
$3,300
Dec 18, 2023
3
AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA INDIANS
OrganizationPALM SPRINGS, CA
$3,300
Jan 11, 2024
4
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$3,300
Feb 24, 2023
5
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationSANTA YNEZ, CA
$3,300
Feb 24, 2023
6
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
Jun 30, 2023
7
FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA
OrganizationROHNERT PARK, CA
$3,300
Jun 30, 2023
8
BARONA BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationLAKESIDE, CA
$2,000
Jun 26, 2024
9
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
OrganizationBANNING, CA
$2,000
Sep 21, 2023
10
MS BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS
OrganizationCHOCTAW, MS
$1,500
Dec 19, 2023

Donor Network - Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 33 nodes and 29 connections (23 secondary connections hidden)

Total contributions: $79,850

Top Donors - Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large]

Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount

1 PAC1 Org1 Committee18 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 harmed.

  • Section 2 amends the Higher Education Act to provide in-state tuition rates for certain residents, potentially reducing revenue for for-profit education institutions that previously charged higher out-of-state rates; cite Section 135A

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Department of Education

Weak
Vector: 63%
Pages: 383-385AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill focuses on expanding access to higher education for territorial residents through in-state tuition equity, while the Project 2025 policy emphasizes K–12 school choice, federal program opt-outs, and accreditation reform—particularly opposing DEI mandates and protecting institutional autonomy. There is minimal thematic overlap, as the bill does not address school choice, accreditation, or federal overreach in K–12, which are central to the Project 2025 education section."

Key themes:education accessfederal education policyhigher education

— 351 — Department of Education as the Educational Choice for Children Act. This bill would create a federal scholarship tax credit that would incentivize donors to contribute to nonprofit scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). Eligible families could then use that funding from the SGOs for their children’s education expenses including private school tuition, tutoring, and instructional materials. ADDITIONAL K–12 REFORMS Allowing States to Opt Out of Federal Education Programs. States should be able to opt out of federal education programs such as the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (APLUS) Act. Much of the red tape and regulations that hinder local school districts are handed down from Washington. This regulatory burden far exceeds the federal government’s less than 10 percent financing share of K–12 education. In the most recent fiscal year (FY 2022), states and localities financed 93 percent of K–12 education costs, and the federal government just 7 percent. That 7 percent share should not allow the federal government to dictate state and local education policy. l To restore state and local control of education and reduce the bureaucratic and compliance burden, Congress should allow states to opt out of the dozens of federal K–12 education programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and instead allow states to put their share of federal funding toward any lawful education purpose under state law. This policy has been advanced over the years via a proposal known as the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success (APLUS) Act. HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM HEA: Accreditation Reform Congress established two primary responsibilities for the U.S. Department of Education in the HEA: 1) to ensure the “administrative capacity and financial responsibility” of colleges and universities that accept Title IV funds; and 2) to ensure the quality of those institutions. Congress did not endow the Department of Education with the authority to involve itself in academic quality issues relating to colleges and universities that participate in the Title IV student aid program; the HEA allows the agency only to recognize accreditors, which are then supposed to provide quality assurance measures. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has followed closely in the footsteps of the Obama Administration by engaging in a politically motivated and incon- sistent administration of the accrediting agency recognition process. As a result, accreditors have transformed into de facto government agents. Despite claims by — 352 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise the department and accreditation agencies that accreditation is voluntary, the fact that Americans are denied access to an otherwise widely available entitle- ment benefit if the institution “elects” to not be accredited makes accreditation anything but voluntary. Today, accreditation determines whether Americans can access federal student aid benefits, transfer academic credits, enroll in higher-level degree programs, and even qualify for federal employment. Unnecessarily focused on schools in a specific geographic region, institutional accreditation reviews have also become wildly expensive audits by academic “peers” that stifle innovation and discourage new institutions of higher education. Of par- ticular concern are efforts by many accreditation agencies to leverage their Title IV (student loans and grants) gatekeeper roles to force institutions to adopt policies that have nothing to do with academic quality assurance and student outcomes. One egregious example of this is the extent to which accreditors have forced col- leges and universities, many of them faith-based institutions, to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion policies that conflict with federal civil rights laws, state laws, and the institutional mission and culture of the schools. Perhaps more distress- ingly, accreditors, while professing support for academic freedom and campus free speech, have presided over a precipitous decline in both over the past decade. Despite maintaining criteria that demand such policies, accreditors have done nothing to dampen the illiberal chill that has swept across American campuses over the past decade. The current system is not working. A radical overhaul of the HEA’s accreditation requirements is thus in order. The next Administration should work with Congress to amend the HEA and should consider the following reforms: l Prohibit accreditation agencies from leveraging their Title IV gatekeeper role to mandate that educational institutions adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. l Protect the sovereignty of states to decide governance and leadership issues for their state-supported colleges and universities by prohibiting accreditation agencies from intruding upon the governance of state-supported educational institutions. l Protect faith-based institutions by prohibiting accreditation agencies from: 1. Requiring standards and criteria that undermine the religious beliefs of, or require policies or conduct that conflict with, the religious mission or religious beliefs of the institution; and

Department of Education

Weak
Vector: 61%
Pages: 386-388AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill focuses on tuition equity for territorial students, while Project 2025's Department of Education section centers on accreditation reform, student loan restructuring, and limiting federal loan forgiveness authority. Both involve amending the Higher Education Act and conditioning federal assistance, but their substantive goals diverge significantly."

Key themes:Higher Education Actfederal assistance conditionscollege affordabilitystudent access

— 353 — Department of Education 2. Intruding on the governance of colleges and universities controlled by a religious organization. l Revamp the system for recognizing accreditation agencies for Title IV purposes by removing the department’s monopoly on recognition by (1) authorizing states to recognize accreditation agencies for Title IV gatekeeping purposes and/or (2) authorizing state agencies to act as accreditation agencies for institutions throughout the United States. The next Administration and Congress might also consider amending the HEA to remove accreditors from the program triad entirely to allow accreditation to return to its original role of voluntary quality assurance. This would permit accreditors to put some “teeth” back into their standards without creating high- stakes disasters, such as institutional loss of Title IV access through paperwork submission errors, a state exercising its constitutional authority to administer its public colleges and universities, or an institution freely exercising the religious beliefs of its founders. With this option, neither the department nor the states would oversee or recognize accrediting agencies. The department’s role would be limited to evaluating the institution’s compliance with federal accounting requirements pursuant to evaluations conducted by appropriately credentialed auditors who have no conflicts of interest in performing the review paid for by the federal agency charged with overseeing compliance—not the institutions being reviewed. HEA: Student Loans l Beyond immediate policy moves and rulemaking to end the current Administration’s abuse of the department’s payment pause and HEA loan forgiveness programs, the department should work with Congress to overhaul the federal student loan program for the benefit of taxpayers and students. The federal government does not have the proper incentives to make sound lending decisions. The new Administration should consider: l Privatizing all lending programs, including subsidized, unsubsidized, and PLUS loans (both Grad and Parent). This would allow for market prices and signals to influence educational borrowing, introducing consumer-driven accountability into higher education. Pell grants should retain their current voucher-like structure. — 354 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise If privatizing student lending is not feasible, then the next Administration should consider the following reforms: l Switch to fair-value accounting from FCRA accounting. l Consolidate all federal loan programs into one new program that a) utilizes income-driven repayment, b) includes no interest rate subsidies or loan forgiveness, c) includes annual and aggregate limits on borrowing, and d) includes skin in the game to hold colleges accountable. l Eliminate Grad PLUS loans (for graduate students) and Parent PLUS loans (for parents of undergraduates). Graduate students are already eligible for unsubsidized Stafford student loans; Grad PLUS loans are redundant. They also lack some of the safeguards of Stafford loans, such as annual and aggregate borrowing limits. Parent PLUS loans are also redundant because there are many privately provided alternatives available. l The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which prioritizes government and public sector work over private sector employment, should be terminated. Whatever Congress chooses to do with future loans, there is still the question of the government’s responsible stewardship of the existing student loan portfolio—a substantial taxpayer asset. The current Administration has recklessly engaged in the policy fetish of forgiving and canceling student loans with abandon. l The next Administration should work with Congress to amend the HEA to ensure that no Administration engages in this kind of abuse in the future. l Specifically, the new Administration should urge the Congress to amend the HEA to abrogate, or substantially reduce, the power of the Secretary to cancel, compromise, discharge, or forgive the principal balances of Title IV student loans, as well as to modify in any material way the repayment amounts or terms of Title IV student loans. l Further, the next Administration should propose that Congress amend the HEA to remove the department’s authority to forgive loans based on borrower defense to repayment; instead, the department

Department of Education

Weak
Vector: 60%
Pages: 386-388AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"HR 6472 addresses tuition equity for territorial students, whereas the Project 2025 excerpt focuses on accreditation reform, reducing federal oversight, and privatizing student loans; they share only a broad higher education context."

Key themes:higher educationcollege affordabilityfederal education policy

— 353 — Department of Education 2. Intruding on the governance of colleges and universities controlled by a religious organization. l Revamp the system for recognizing accreditation agencies for Title IV purposes by removing the department’s monopoly on recognition by (1) authorizing states to recognize accreditation agencies for Title IV gatekeeping purposes and/or (2) authorizing state agencies to act as accreditation agencies for institutions throughout the United States. The next Administration and Congress might also consider amending the HEA to remove accreditors from the program triad entirely to allow accreditation to return to its original role of voluntary quality assurance. This would permit accreditors to put some “teeth” back into their standards without creating high- stakes disasters, such as institutional loss of Title IV access through paperwork submission errors, a state exercising its constitutional authority to administer its public colleges and universities, or an institution freely exercising the religious beliefs of its founders. With this option, neither the department nor the states would oversee or recognize accrediting agencies. The department’s role would be limited to evaluating the institution’s compliance with federal accounting requirements pursuant to evaluations conducted by appropriately credentialed auditors who have no conflicts of interest in performing the review paid for by the federal agency charged with overseeing compliance—not the institutions being reviewed. HEA: Student Loans l Beyond immediate policy moves and rulemaking to end the current Administration’s abuse of the department’s payment pause and HEA loan forgiveness programs, the department should work with Congress to overhaul the federal student loan program for the benefit of taxpayers and students. The federal government does not have the proper incentives to make sound lending decisions. The new Administration should consider: l Privatizing all lending programs, including subsidized, unsubsidized, and PLUS loans (both Grad and Parent). This would allow for market prices and signals to influence educational borrowing, introducing consumer-driven accountability into higher education. Pell grants should retain their current voucher-like structure.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

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