A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to the qualifications of foreign schools.
Public Law 108-98 · S. 570 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 10, 2003 · Education
Sponsor: Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Wayne Allard, Sen. George Allen
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise requirements for the qualification of foreign medical or veterinary schools to participate in title IV part B Federal Family Education Loan Program.
Exempts graduate medical schools or veterinary schools located outside the United States from a requirement that they be a public or other nonprofit institution in order to qualify. Retains certain requirements for foreign medical schools, but no longer applies these to foreign veterinary schools. Requires the students of a foreign veterinary institution that is neither public nor nonprofit to complete their clinical training at an approved veterinary school located in the United States. (Current law applies the latter requirement to all foreign veterinary schools.)
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Education and Workforce Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcomittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.
- Oct 10, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-98.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 2, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 30, 2003FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 570.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Boehner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Aug 13, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
- Jul 17, 2003FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
- Jul 16, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 6, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.