What You Need to Know About the House Higher Education Act Bill

The following article by the Center for American Progress Postsecondary Education Team was posted on their website December 7, 2017:

In this February 1, 2017, photo, students walk between classes on campus. Credit: AP/Bebeto Matthews

Last week, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce unveiled its proposal for rewriting the Higher Education Act, the nation’s main law governing postsecondary education. The Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act is the beginning of an important conversation about what the future of learning beyond high school should look like in this country going forward.

Unfortunately, the bill’s vision of higher education is an emboldened industry at the expense of students. In a one-two punch, the bill would first eliminate key requirements that shield students from being taken advantage of while they’re in school, and then follow up by undercutting the safety net that prevents debt from ruining the lives of low-income borrowers. Similarly, the bill limits state efforts to oversee schools and loan servicers, and ties the U.S. Department of Education’s hands in conducting oversight work. Continue reading “What You Need to Know About the House Higher Education Act Bill”