News

House Holds Hearing on College Campus Safety House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) held a hearing looking into best practices to ensure that college campuses are equipped to respond to unexpected tragedies and to learn how colleges and universities can recover from such tragedies.   House and Senate Reach Conference Agreement on FY08 Budget House and Senate conferees reached an agreement on the budget resolution for fiscal year 2008.   House and Senate Legislation on Veterans and Postsecondary Education Since the start of the 110th Congress, several bills have been introduced to assist active and former military personnel obtain a postsecondary education. CCA has sent letters of support to each Senator or Congressman thanking them for including programs offered at for-profit institutions.   US Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing on Paying for College: The Role of Private Student Lending Today, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Chairman Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) held a hearing that focused on the growth of the private educational loan market and its impact on college accessibility and affordability, as well as the implications of private lending products and services on borrowers and their families.   House Passes Budget Reconciliation Bill Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, by a vote of 273 to 149. This legislation is a budget reconciliation package and separate and a part from efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The House is expected to take up legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act this fall.   House Action on the College Cost Reducation Act of 2007 On June 13, 2007, the House Education and Labor Committee passed H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, by a partisan vote of 30 to 16. This budget reconciliation package contains several provisions important to CCA's membership. The House Rules Committee will convene a hearing today at 5:00 PM to consider 27 amendments submitted to H.R. 2669.   House Passes Student Loan Sunshine Act Today, the House of Representatives voted 414 to 3 in favor of comprehensive bipartisan legislation that would reform the student loan industry and ensure that students and families will encounter a more trustworthy student aid system.   Highlights of Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Proposed Bill for the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act This is an overview of the original proposed bill by Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Enzi (R-WY), the Chairman and Ranking Republican, and the managers’ amendments as released by the Committee as of June 19, 2007.   Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Passes Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and Budget Reconciliation Bills The US Senate HELP Committee today passed unanimously the Higher Education Amendments of 2007, S. 1642, which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act, and the Higher Education Access Act of 2007, a budget reconciliation measure that impacts Pell Grants and student lending.   Congress Passes Measures that Increase Pell Grants and Change Student Loan Programs Early this morning the U.S. Senate passed S. 1762, the Higher Education Access Act of 2007, by a vote of 78 – 18, after two days of debate. This is the budget reconciliation companion bill to H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act, which the House passed last week. These bills will now go to a Conference Committee where appointed House and Senate Members will work out the legislative differences. There is an outside chance a conference agreement could be worked out before the Congress begins its recess in early August, but it is more likely to be concluded and voted on in September.   Legislative Alert: U.S. Senate Debating HEA on Monday, July 23rd The membership is requested to call your two Senators and urge them to contact Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) to tell them how the current language causes students to repeat courses, creating financial hardship for both students and taxpayers.   Senate Reauthorizes Programs Under the Higher Education Act Earlier today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1642, the Higher Education Amendments of 2007, by a vote of 95-0. CCA applauds the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Ranking Member Michael Enzi (R-WY) for their leadership in securing passage of this important legislation. In particular, the bill makes major changes to the 90/10 rule that will benefit CCA schools and students.   College Cost Reduction and Access Act Summary This report was prepared by the conferees. It is a section by section overview of the bill, with a description of the House bill and the Senate bill and a description of the final agreement.   Text of H.R. 2669 - The College Cost Reduction and Access Act Click on the link above to read the full conference report.   GAO Releases Transfer of Credit Report An October 18, 2005, U.S. Government Accountability Office report recommends that Congress amend the Higher Education Act to ensure academic credits are not denied based on the accreditation of the institution where the credits were earned. Click above to read the report.   President Bush's FY 2008 Budget Visit the OMB website at the link above to view the Administration's FY 2008 request. The Democratically controlled Congress will soon begin the process of drafting FY 2008 appropriations legislation.   President Bush delivers Fiscal Year 2008 Budget to Congress Yesterday, President Bush delivered to Congress the Budget of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2008. The 2008 budget proposal increases the maximum Pell Grant to $4,600 in 2008, increasing to $5,400 by 2012. In 2008 the Department of Education requests over $90 billion in grants, loans, and work-study assistance - $15 billion in Pell Grants and increases to the maximum award by $550—to $4,600. Student aid is expected to total $73 billion in 2008.   State Legislative and Regulatory Report In an effort to better identify public policy trends and threats to the for-profit sector of higher education, CCA has commenced state legislative and regulatory tracking. We are committed to sharing information gathered with our state association colleagues and interested CCA members. To this end, click on the above link for our first report of state legislative and regulatory activity.   Congress Passes Third HEA Extension Bill October 3, 2006 - The chances of Congress reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA) within the next eight months seem highly unlikely, now that Congress has passed the third short-term extension bill for the HEA.   CCA Policy Recommendations for the 110th Congress In a letter to House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman George Miller and Ranking Member Howard “Buck” McKeon, CCA encouraged the Committee to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) this year. CCA’s policy recommendations for the legislation emphasize the importance of access to educational opportunity, affordability for those who need it, and accountability in the higher education community.