House Panel Clears HEA Reauthorization

On Thursday, the House Education and Labor Committee passed H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization bill, by a vote of 45-0. The nearly unprecedented bipartisan cooperation goes to show how committed members of the House are to pass the HEA, especially in lieu of reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was officially placed on the back burner for the remainder of the year. The intense focus on the higher education legislation seems to create a positive outlook for a quick floor debate, speedy conference with the Senate, and hopefully a prompt Presidential signing ceremony, reauthorizing the law for the first time since 1998.

Following previous efforts in Congress this year, H.R. 4137 looks to help rein in the rising cost of higher education, making it more affordable for middle and low-income families to send their children to college. The bill increases the maximum authorized Pell grant for low-income college students to $9,000 per year, from $5,800, and would allow the grants to be used year-round. The bill will also:

• Streamline the federal student financial aid application process;
• Make textbook costs more manageable for students by helping them plan for textbook expenses in advance of each semester;
• Strengthen college readiness programs;
• Increase college aid and support programs for veterans and military families;
• Improve safety on college campuses and help schools recover and rebuild after a disaster;
• Ensure equal college opportunities and fair learning environments for students with disabilities; and
• Strengthen the nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness by boosting science, technology, and foreign language educational opportunities.

After two days of debate, and a marathon session of amendments, lasting until near midnight on Wednesday, the committee is now ready to send the bill to the House floor. Originally, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) had told the press that he would not move forward with the HEA until work on NCLB reauthorization was completed. However, with Sen. Edward Kennedy's (D-MA) announcement that the Senate would not move on NCLB this year, Miller decided to push the HEA through the House, hoping to complete at least one major education reauthorization this year. The bipartisan support for the bill, in both the House and Senate, lends credibility to the claim that quick floor passage and a speedy conference could have the bill ready for the President's signature by the end of the year.

During the two day mark up, the committee passed a series of amendments, which would:
• Prohibit the U.S. Secretary of Education from entering into settlement agreements worth $1 million unless the attorney general reviews the agreement;
• Authorize a program to provide grants to train students to serve as school administrators in rural areas;
• Direct lenders in the Federal Family Education Loan and Direct Loan programs to contact borrowers five years after they have selected a repayment plan to determine whether the borrower can enter a shorter repayment plan to reduce interest payments on that loan;
• Require schools to provide financial counseling to student borrowers before they sign the first promissory note;
• Prohibit the U.S. Secretary of Education from developing a federal database of personal information on students receiving aid under the bill;
• Create a program to provide grants to state correctional education agencies and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to help incarcerated individuals get post-secondary education and employment counseling;
• Require schools that receive contributions of more than $1 million for its international studies programs or centers to disclose the source of the donation; and
• Prohibit a student from receiving a federal Pell Grant for more than 18 semesters or 27 quarters.

Resources:
Stephen Langel, "Higher Education Act Heads to Floor; NCLB Delayed Until Next Year," Congress Now, November 15, 2007.
Sara Lubbes, "Committee Approves Bill Boosting Student Aid," CQ Today, November 15, 2007.
Author: SAS