Three Things New Higher Education Bills Would Mean for Teachers and Students – Education Week
It may be a slow time for K-12 activity on Capitol Hill, but you can’t really same the same about higher education. That’s because over the last several weeks, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced bills designed to address college access, costs, and other policies.
On the GOP side, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate education committee, has walked point on a package of bills dealing with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—an issue that allows Alexander to use perhaps his favorite prop of an extremely long application for aid—as well as short-term Pell Grants and other issues. Meanwhile, House Democrats have unveiled the College Affordability Act, which builds on past legislation and aims to increase Pell Grant awards, lower student-loan payments, and more.
Both proposals would amend the Higher Education Act, which was last reauthorized in 2008 and is overdue for reauthorization.
So what’s worth highlighting about them? Let’s take a look at a few salient points.