Committee Advances Education Bills Intended to Improve Transparency and Access
WASHINGTON – Today, the Committee passed a series of bills that aim improve access and transparency in higher education.
“We are all aware of the polls that show that many believe that college is not worth the cost. The solution should not be to ignore that fact. We should make college more affordable rather than have students cut their education short because they cannot afford the cost.” said Ranking Member Scott. “Bills that explain the cost do not reduce the cost, anymore than — as a farmer would say — weighing the pig does not make the pig fatter.”
H.R. 6392, the Home School Graduation Recognition Act, restates and clarifies the current law allowing home-schooled students to be eligible for federal student aid. Committee Democrats offered an amendment that furthered technical changes to clarify the bill’s provisions apply to Title IV under the Higher Education Act.
H.R. 6472, the Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act, amends the Higher Education Act to require public colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for certain residents of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands.Democrats proposed an amendment to help institutions offset these costs by providing federal support similar to the District of Columbia Tuition Assistant Grant (‘DC TAG’) Program.
H.R. 6498, the Student Financial Clarity Act, amends the Higher Education Act to expand the data requirements of the College Scorecard and establish a Universal Net Price Calculator. To improve this legislation, Committee Democrats offered amendments to:
- Require the Education Department to do the work at the Department and not farm it out to other agencies.
- Mandate that the Universal Net Price Calculator show how student aid cuts from the “Big Ugly Law” will impact students.
- And codify the recent Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency regulations.
H.R. 6502, the College Financial Aid Clarity Act, requires institutions to present cost and aid information on students’ financial aid offers, including estimated costs, grants, scholarships, and types of loans in a consistent manner. To improve this legislation, Committee Democrats offered amendments to:
- Require the Department of Education to perform the work the bill authorizes rather than farming it out to other agencies.
- Promote greater standardization and transparency s for students to make real apples-to-apples aid offer comparisons.
While H.R. 6472 and 6498 highlight the importance of transparency in higher education, they do not actually reduce the cost of attendance. Moreover, implementation of these bills would be nearly impossible given the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.
Read Ranking Member Scott’s opening statement here.
Read Democratic amendments and letters of opposition to H.R. 6392, 6472, 6498 and 6502 here.
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