The House Education and the Workforce Committee today is expected to mark up a trio of higher education bills as part of a broader effort to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.
The three bills target different areas of higher education policy: ensuring financial counseling for students who take out federal loans or grants (H.R. 4984), strengthening and streamlining transparency in higher education (H.R. 4983), and simplifying the process by which students apply for federal student aid (H.R 4982).
AACRAO joined a broad coalition of higher education groups to commend the committee’s efforts to streamline and simplify the ways students and their families learn about and make decisions regarding their higher education options. In a letter to Chairman John Kline (R-MN), the groups also highlighted some specific concerns with several aspects of the legislation, including institutional graduation rate calculations and other data outlined in H.R. 4893 and provisions in H.R. 4984 that may complicate the process of packaging student aid.
Related Links
Empowering Students through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act (H.R. 4984)
http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=386101
Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act (H.R. 4983)
http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=386105
Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act (H.R. 4982)
http://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=386112