10.31.19

Committee Advances Comprehensive Legislation to Lower the Cost of College

College Affordability Act heads to House Floor with unanimous Democratic support

WASHINGTON – Today, the Committee on Education and Labor advanced the College Affordability Act (H.R. 4674) – a comprehensive proposal to lower the cost of college, improve the quality of higher education through stronger accountability, and expand opportunity by providing students the support they need to succeed. The bill, which incorporates more than 30 bipartisan proposals, was advanced on a party-line vote (28-22) with unanimous Democratic support.

“A quality, college degree remains the surest path to financial security and a rewarding career. Accordingly, we must fulfill the promise of making higher education affordable for all students,” said Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott. “The College Affordability Act is a comprehensive bill that will immediately lower the cost of college while putting a down payment on investments that we need to make in the future. I applaud my colleagues for their work on behalf of student and families, and I look forward to bringing this legislation to the House Floor.”

The College Affordability Act:

  • Tackles the rising cost of tuition by restoring state and federal investments in public colleges and universities, which will reduce the burden that has been shifted to students and their families.
  • Makes college affordable for low- and middle-income students by implementing the largest increase in the value of Pell Grants in the 54-year history of the program.
  • Eases the burden of student loans by making existing student loans cheaper to pay off.
  • Cracks down on predatory for-profit colleges that defraud students, veterans, and taxpayers.
  • Holds all schools accountable for providing students a quality education that leads to a rewarding career.  
  • Improves students’ safety on campus by blocking Secretary DeVos’s survivor-blaming Title IX rule and introducing stronger accountability to track and prevent cases of sexual assault, harassment, and hazing.
  • Expands students’ access to high-quality programs by making Pell Grants available for short-term programs.
  • Helps improve graduation rates by providing stronger support services to keep students in school and on track.
  • Invests in the critical institutions that enroll underserved students by increasing and permanently reauthorizing mandatory funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and other Minority Serving Institutions.

To read a fact sheet on the College Affordability Act, click here.

To read a title by title on the College Affordability Act, click here.

To read what organizations are saying about the College Affordability Act, click here.

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