The Department of Education has issued new regulations to adjust penalties for inflation, as required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. These adjustments affect various fines related to educational institutions and government interactions, such as failure to report information or improper lobbying. The changes, effective January 21, 2025, are calculated using a set multiplier for inflation and will impact penalties assessed after this date for violations occurring post-November 2, 2015. The adjustments ensure the penalties continue to serve their deterrent purpose without being subject to a public comment period, as allowed by the law.
Simple Explanation
The Department of Education decided to raise the fines they give when someone breaks certain rules, to make sure these fines still make people follow the rules. They used some special math to figure out how much to raise them, and these new fines will start on January 21, 2025.