Mar 6: Read a letter from the higher education community, led by ACE, to both education chairmen and ranking members regarding provisions in the HEA dealing with the cohort default rate.
Feb 29: NASSGAP and a group of NACAC's other collaborative partners sent a letter to HEA conferees opposing a provision that would reduce LEAP funds to states that fail to meet a certain maintenance of effort standard.
Feb 15: Read the education community's response to the House HEA bill, HR 4137, including a support letter for the overall bill and ACE's position on selected amendments.
Feb 13: The House Education and Labor Committee has highlighted a set of protections called the College Consumer Bill of Rights that are part of the House-passed HEA bill, HR 4137.
Feb 8: The House of Representatives approved the HEA reauthorization bill (HR 4137) yesterday by a vote of 354 to 58. See how your Representative voted.
Feb 7: Visit the Rules Committee online to see a list of approved amendments that will be debated today as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HR 4137).
Feb 6: The Higher Education Act reauthorization bill (HR 4137) is scheduled for floor debate in the House tomorrow, February 7. Visit the House Education & Labor Committee to read a summary of the bill, and visit the House Rules Committee to see a list of submitted amendments, including the "managers amendment" from Congressman George Miller (D-CA), education committee chairman. The Rules Committee meets this evening at 5:00 pm to determine which of the submitted amendments will be approved for floor debate.
Jan 16: The National Governors' Association (NGA), the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) have sent a joint letter to the education committees regarding the "maintenance of effort" language in the draft HEA bills. The language would require states to maintain a certain level of investment in higher education in order to control tuition at state colleges and universities. The groups argue that state appropriations should be the exclusive domain of state legislatures.
2007
Dec 19: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the non-partisan budget arm of the legislative branch, has released its cost estimate of HR 3147, the draft Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization released by the Committee on Education & Labor last month.
Nov 16: Yesterday's attempt to override the President's veto of HR 3043 failed by a vote of 277 to 144, with fifteen members of Congress not voting. Thanks to everyone who took action on the alert! Visit the Library of Congress online to see how your Representative voted. Appropriators in both chambers are drafting an omnibus compromise package that "splits the difference" between the President's request and the remaining appropriations bills. The bill funding the Department of Defense is the only one signed into law so far.
Nov 15: Visit Inside Higher Ed for a summary of the HEA markup in the House yesterday. This afternoon, the House is scheduled to vote on HR 3043 in an attempt to override President Bush's veto.
Nov 13: The House Committee on Education & Labor will markup their version of the Higher Education Act on Wednesday, November 14. The Senate passed their HEA bill on July 24.
Oct 12: House Republicans introduced a draft bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The bill would authorize a Pell Grant maximum of $6,000, would eliminate the loan auction pilot program recently passed in the reconciliation bill, and would adopt a single definition of "institution of higher education" that would lump non-profit and for-profit colleges together. House Democrats have not introduced a draft HEA yet. The Senate unanimously approved their version of the HEA on July 24.
Aug 1: The America COMPETES Act (HR 2272) has been approved by a conference committee, and is ready for final votes on the floor of both chambers, scheduled for this week. The bill's education section provides grant money to improve math education at the elementary and middle school level; to increase the number of students studying critical foreign languages from elementary school through college; and to improve access to AP and IB classes for low-income students. The bill was drafted in response to a National Academies report from 2005 about global competiveness. Read a summary of the conference report from the House Committee on Science and Technology.
July 24: The Senate approved the Higher Education Act (S 1642) today by a vote of 95 to 0. The bill reauthorizes need-based student aid programs, and includes new rules for colleges' relationships with lenders, and a new "Higher Education Price Increase Watch List." The House has not acted on their version of the HEA, but both chambers have passed reconciliation bills, which will work in concert with the HEA.
June 21: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee yesterday approved sweeping legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act and the Higher Education Access Act, the Senate's reconciliation bill, the companion to the College Cost Reduction Act in the House.
The two bills include many of NACAC's key policy priorities, including professional development for school counselors and admission officers to help students prepare for college, income-based repayment options for student borrowers, a simplified FAFSA, and significant investments in need-based student aid, including a revitalized LEAP program and a maximum Pell award of $5,100 next year (a $790 increase). Read Senator Kennedy's comments on the bill, and a summary from Inside Higher Ed. A detailed comparison of the Senate and House reconciliation bills will be posted on NACAC's Advocacy for Students page next week.
The next step is floor consideration for both bills. The House education committee has not yet scheduled markup of its HEA reauthorization, but passed its reconciliation bill on June 14.
Nov 29: The Department of Education has announced a new rulemaking committee for the student loan provisions of the Higher Education Act. The committee's first meeting is December 12.
Nov 17: Senate leaders for the 110th Congress have organized their committee assignments, and the Senate education committee will have three new members: Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), and Senators-elect Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Senator Edward Kenendy (D-MA), the incoming chair of the committee, announced his priorities for next year, which include reauthorization of both the HEA and No Child Left Behind.
Sept 29: Congress has extended the current Higher Education Act (HEA) until next July. The HEA was originally scheduled for reauthorization in 2004. Whether the reauthorization will be taken up by the 110th Congress next year is unclear.
Sept 12: The Department of Education has announced $17 million in grant awards for the Advanced Placement Incentive program.
June 21: The House of Representatives will consider this week legislation to extend the Higher Education Act (HEA) until September 30, 2006. The House has passed their HEA reauthorization bill, and the Senate's bill has not been scheduled for floor debate.
March 30: The House passed HR 609 today, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) by a vote of 221 to 199. An amendment proposed by Congressman Mike King (R-IA) failed by a vote of 83 to 337. The amendment would have required colleges and universities to report to the federal government the use of race (and all other factors) in the admission process. Thank you to everyone who urged their Representatives to vote NO on the King Amendment! Read NACAC's letter to the full House on the King Amendment.
March 29: The House Budget Committee will consider the FY07 budget resolution today. Contact your member of Congress (especially if they are on the Budget Committee) and urge them to support the deLauro Amendment, which will add $7 billion to education, health, and labor programs. Read NACAC's letter sent to the Budget Committee yesterday.
March 28: The House will soon take up HR 609, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Read NACAC's letter to the full House today on our objections to the bill.
March 24: Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) will be introducing the STAR Act as an amendment to the House HEA bill next week (HR 609). NACAC sent a letter of support today, continuing advocacy begun during last year's HEA debates.
March 20: The Committee on Education and the Workforce has released a revised summary of HR 609, the House GOP reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Visit the committee online to read the summary. HR 609 could come to the floor next week. Congress has extended the current HEA until June 30, 2006 (HR 4911).
9.15.05: Read NACAC's latest letter to the full Congress on HR 609 and S 1614, the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
8.10.05: Review a memo prepared for Senate staff on fraud and abuse in student aid programs, as they work on the Senate version of the HEA.