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The Education Department has pushed back the date for finishing its updated regulations for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to March, according to the agency’s latest regulatory agenda.
The final regulations, which would overhaul how colleges and universities respond to reports of sexual harassment and assault and create new protections for transgender students, were slated for release in May but then were pushed back to October. The department received more than 240,000 comments on its proposed Title IX rules, which has delayed the process, because the agency must review and respond to every comment before issuing a final rule.
This third delay comes as congressional Democrats and a coalition of gender justice and survivor advocacy organizations press the Biden administration to release the regulations.
“For years, students across the country have lived under former President Donald Trump’s Title IX policies that weakened protections for sexual assault and harassment survivors and sowed confusion about the extent of students’ protections against sex discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” House Democrats wrote in a Nov. 30 letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
The lawmakers requested an updated timeline for the rule’s release and urged the department to use “all necessary resources” to issue the final regulations as soon as possible.
According to the updated regulatory agenda, the department is planning to issue its proposed rule for student debt relief in May. Other regulations that will be subject to negotiation this winter, including accreditation, are expected out next October.
