Background Information
Current Status
Latest News
ACTE Resources, Positions & Statements
External Resources
Current Status: | Current | |
| Law: | Higher Education Amendments of 1998 [P.L. 105-244] |
| | |
| Senate: | S. 1642, "Higher Education Amendments of 2007," introduced, 6/18/07 |
| S. 1642 passed by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee 20-0, 6/20/07 |
| S. 1642 passed by Senate 95-0, 7/24/07 |
| | |
| House: | H.R. 4137, "College Opportunity and Affordability Act," introduced 11/9/07 |
| H.R. 4137 passed by Education and Labor Committee 45-0, 11/15/07 |
| H.R. 4137 passed by House 354-48, 2/7/08 |
Latest News:
May 7, 2008
On May 1, H.R. 5715, the “Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act” was cleared to be signed into law by the President. As reported in our April 22 Legislative Update, the House originally approved the bill 383-27 on April 17.
The Senate made minor changes and approved the bill by unanimous consent on April 30. The changes included adding provisions to channel any savings from the bill to Academic Competitiveness and SMART Grants in order to decrease students’ reliance on high-cost non-federal loans and allow 100,000 more students to qualify for as much as $4,000 more per year in grant aid. The changes would also sunset the “lender of last resort schools” authority of the Education secretary at the end of the 2008-09 school year. This provision allows the Education secretary to designate entire schools as lender of last-resort schools if many students at such schools are having trouble obtaining loans.
To avoid a lengthy conference process negotiating differences, the Senate-amended bill was then sent back to the House for final approval, and was passed 388-21 on May 1. The final legislation will raise federal loan limits for undergraduates by $2,000 and make it easier for parents to take out low-cost federal loans for their children under the PLUS loan program.
In other Higher Education Act news, Congress has cleared the fifth extension of the law, S. 2929, this year as work continues on the comprehensive reauthorization. The law technically expired on April 30, but the extension would last until May 31. Congress still hopes to complete the final reauthorization by that time, but work could continue into the summer.
Archived Updates & Historical Information
ACTE Resources, Positions & Statements:
ACTE Conference Positions 3/10/08
Sign-on Letter in Support of College Affordability for Working Students Act 10/15/07
ACTE Comments on HEA Reauthorization 4/13/07
ACTE Postsecondary Position Paper - Expanding Opportunities: Postsecondary CTE and Preparing Tomorrow's Workforce
HEA 2007 Leave Behind
Letter to House Education and the Workforce Committee on Issue of Single Postsecondary Institution Definition 2/26/04
External Resources:
Congress Expands Access to Postsecondary Education and Training for Low-income Adults, CLASP 9/18/07
Department of Education "Dear Colleague" letter describing changes made by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (HERA) to Student and Institutional Eligibility, and Student Assistance General Provisions, under the Federal Student Aid Programs 4/27/06
Department of Education "Dear Colleague" letter on Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant Programs 4/05/06
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