Congress Reintroduces Campus Accountability & Safety Act, Expanding Clery Act Obligations
The bill would broaden the reporting and safety duties of colleges, extending Clery Act oversight to newer campus facilities and transport links.
Congress has reframed campus safety oversight with the new Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which amends the 1990 Clery Act to increase the scope of obligations for institutions of higher education. The act expands mandatory reporting to cover on‑campus transportation, student housing, and facilities with student use that are not within traditional dormitory or academic building definitions; it requires schools to publish safety reports that include any new or updated land‑use design decisions. The bill also mandates that institutions conduct annual campus safety exercises and public contest audits, and must report these findings within 24 hours of any incident. Counsel advising universities must review current compliance procedures to ensure reporting deadlines are met, perhaps needing new data systems or policy adjustments. Firms should monitor the Senate schedule, be prepared to aid clients with cost‑benefit analyses of the new security upgrades, and anticipate that emergent GPS tracking devices could become required under the act’s expanded definition of “student” areas.