As a result of the Virginia Tech tragedy, hearings have been held in both the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Education focusing on the role of the federal government in contributing to safety on college campuses and strengthening community preparedness. More legislative inquiries are expected in the coming months, along with suggestions and recommendations on how to monitor student mental health issues and ensure campus safety.
Another important issue for the higher education community is the investigation into the business practices of the $85 billion student loan industry and the relationships between institutions and student loan lenders. Since New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo publicly announced an inquiry into the practices of the student loan industry on March 22, it has been reported that the number of investigations has grown to include both the House and Senate education committees and more than a half dozen state attorneys general. Just yesterday, the N.Y. Legislature passed landmark legislation, the Student Lending Accountability, Transparency and Enforcement (SLATE) Act, which codifies Cuomo’s College Loan Code of Conduct and is being endorsed by Congressional leaders as a national model.
Today the House is expected to vote on and pass the Student Loan Sunshine Act (H.R. 890), which is identical to the Senate version of the bill (S. 486) introduced by HELP Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA). A press release by the House Committee on Pensions and Labor states “…ongoing investigations into the student loan industry have revealed that egregious conflicts of interests and corrupt practices among lenders, schools, and public officials are undermining the student loan programs that millions of borrowers have come to depend on. Congressional action is urgently needed to return these programs to their rightful owners: students and parents.” The Student Loan Sunshine Act has a number of provisions to “ensure that students and families will encounter a more trustworthy student aid system.” To access the specific provisions of the bill, you can visit: http://edworkforce.house.gov/publications/050807SunshineAct.pdf.
Also making news is the Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking meetings and how this process will make fundamental changes to the accreditation system. The American Council on Education has stated that such changes would amount to nothing more than “federalizing accreditation.” The peer review model would be replaced with a federal regulatory model, and the Department would dictate new standards and policies that accreditors must apply to institutions. It would also call for a set of federally monitored learning outcomes applied to all institutions and proposals to require accreditors to more strictly monitor institutional policies on transfer of credit. NAICU and other higher education associations are mounting a campaign to protect the current mission-based, peer review model of accreditation. A final hearing of the negotiating committee will be held in a few weeks.
Finally, the House of Representatives continues its work on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Leaders say they intend to pass the reauthorization bill by the end of September and complete the process by the end of the year. The Senate is not far behind, and says it will hold the markup of its version of the bill sometime this month.
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