NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY AND INTEGRITY.

SEC. 1203. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY AND INTEGRITY. Section 1205 of the Act (20 U.S.C. 1145) is amended to read as follows: “SEC. 1205. COMMITTEE ON INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY AND INTEGRITY. “(a) Establishment.— There is established in the Department a Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘Committee’), which shall be composed of 15 members appointed by the Secretary from among individuals who are representatives of, or knowledgeable concerning, education and training beyond secondary education, including representatives of all sectors and types of institutions of higher education (as defined in section 481(a)), to assess the process of eligibility and certification of such institutions under title IV of this Act and the provision of financial aid under title IV of this Act. The Secretary may also appoint to the Committee representatives of the general public serving on the National Advisory Committee on Accreditation and Institutional Eligibility (as such Committee was in existence on the date of enactment of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992). “(b) Terms of Members.— Terms of office of each member of the Committee shall be 3 years, except that— “(1) of the members first appointed to the Committee the Secretary shall designate— “(A) 5 such members to serve for a term of 1 year; “(B) 5 such members to serve for a term of 2 years; and “(C) 5 such members to serve for a term of 3 years; and “(2) any member appointed to fill in a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member’s predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term. “(c) Functions.— The Committee shall— 106 STAT. 794 “(1) advise the Secretary with respect to establishment and enforcement of the standards of accrediting agencies or associations under subpart 2 of part H; “(2) advise the Secretary with respect to the recognition of a specific accrediting agency or association; “(3) advise the Secretary with respect to the preparation and publication of the list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies and associations; “(4) develop and recommend to the Secretary standards and criteria for specific categories of vocational training institutions and institutions of higher education for which there are no recognized accrediting agencies, associations, or State agencies, in order to establish the eligibility of such institutions on an interim basis for participation in federally funded programs; “(5) advise the Secretary with respect to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education under title IV of this Act, together with recommendations for improvements in such process; “(6) advise the Secretary with respect to the functions of the Secretary under subpart 1 of part H, relating to State institutional integrity standards; “(7) advise the Secretary with respect to the relationship between— “(A) accreditation of institutions of higher education and the certification and eligibility of such institutions; and “(B) State licensing responsibilities with respect to such institutions; and “(8) carry out such other advisory functions relating to accreditation and institutional eligibility as the Secretary may prescribe. “(a) Meeting Procedures.— The Committee shall meet not less than twice each year at the call of the Chairperson. The date of, and agenda for, each meeting of the Committee shall be submitted in advance to the Secretary for approval. A representative of the Secretary shall be present at all meetings of the Committee. “(e) Report.— The Committee shall, not later than November 30 of each year, make an annual report through the Secretary to the Congress. The annual report shall contain— “(1) a list of the members of the Committee and their addresses; “(2) a list of the functions of the Committee; “(3) a list of dates and places of each meeting during the preceding fiscal year; and “(4) a summary of the activities, findings and recommendations made by the Committee during the preceding fiscal year. “(f) Termination.— Subject to section 448(b) of the General Education Provision Act, the National Advisory Committee on Accreditation and Institutional Eligibility shall continue to exist until September 30, 1998”.