Sen. Enzi is ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Last night, the House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which includes key higher education reforms that are critical to expand access to college, protect students from bad actors in the student loan industry, and provide clear information students need to understand and manage their debts.

I applaud the House of Representatives for acting on this critical legislation. I’m hopeful that House and Senate leaders can name conferees soon, so that we can reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills and send a final Higher Education Act reauthorization bill to the President.

The House approved the “College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007,� H.R. 4137, by a 354-58 vote. The Senate approved similar legislation, S. 1642, in July by a 95-0 vote.

After over three years of negotiations, Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on a number of key measures to help ensure that American students have the knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21st century economy. Ninety percent of new jobs being created will require some postsecondary education, and this bill is critical to ensure that our workers will have the qualifications they need to compete in the global economy.

The Senate-passed bill will restore students’ trust in student loan programs by holding lenders and schools to a code of conduct. It will also ensure that students and parents have the information they need about the costs of college and the financial impact of their loans so they can make sound decisions about their futures.

The key provisions of the “Higher Education Amendments of 2007� include:

• Expanding SMART grants, which provide opportunities for students to study math, science, engineering, technology and critical foreign languages;

• Expanding other grant assistance opportunities, including year-round federal Pell Grants for non-traditional students;

• Establishing a protocol to provide consumer friendly, easy to access and understand, information about college tuition and fees;

• Calling for the Department of Education and IRS to simplify the federal application for student aid (FAFSA) process to make it easier for students and parents to apply for the aid that they need;

• Protecting students from bad actors in the student loan industry by holding schools and lenders to a Code of Conduct;

• Increasing support for working adults by increasing the income protection allowance to make sure they get the assistance they need;

• Promoting financial literacy and better borrower information; and,

• Encouraging better alignment of teacher preparation with state standards, more rigorous curriculum and assessments, and use of technology in the classroom.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 12:19 pm and is filed under Politics .