Legislative Activity House Subcommittee Changes House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA) announced new subcommittee assignments last week. As such, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) will join the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. Additionally, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) is moving from that subcommittee … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity 90/10 Rule Legislation Last week, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act of 2013 (S. 1659) to amend the current 90/10 rule that requires for-profit colleges to receive no more than 90 percent … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Alternative Accreditation Proposal In a speech at the Heritage Foundation on October 29, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) unveiled his plans to introduce the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act next week. The proposed legislation would provide a new option for states to create alternative accreditation systems while also keeping the existing system of … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Student Loan Interest Rates Last week, the Senate passed its student loan interest rate compromise bill by an 81-18 vote. As previously noted, this proposal would peg interest rates to the 10-year Treasury note, plus 2.05 percent for both the subsidized and unsubsidized portions of the undergraduate loans, plus 3.6 percent for graduate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Student Loan Interest Rates A bipartisan group of senators, led Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), announced another agreement on student loan interest rates last week. The deal, which represents a new scheme that shifts to market-driven variable interest rates, was announced after Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) ultimately agreed to support it. According to reports, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Student Loan Reform Senators continue to work on a bipartisan deal to address federally subsidized student loan interest rates, which expire July 1. The long-term deal, which is expected to (1) peg the rates to the 10-year Treasury bill, (2) include a consolidated rate cap – something Democrats have called “non-negotiable,” and (3) … Continue Reading
