WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Education and Labor Committee Senior Republican Member Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) recently welcomed legislation to hold colleges and universities accountable for rising tuitions, calling the bill a long overdue sign of the bipartisan consensus that has emerged on the need to address the college cost crisis. The College Opportunity and Affordability Act, introduced by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA), reflects bipartisan collaboration on key college access and affordability issues.
"For too long, students, parents, and taxpayers have been held hostage to the ever-rising cost of a college education. We know higher education is critical to America’s continued competitiveness and success. Yet access to college has been pushed further out of reach for far too many Americans because costs have spiraled out of control,” said McKeon. “With this bill, Congress is sending an unmistakable signal that colleges and universities need to be accountable to consumers. That begins with sunshine and transparency.”
The College Opportunity and Affordability Act will shine a spotlight on excessive tuition increases by establishing an index by which to compare cost increases over time; creating a watch list of schools whose tuition increases exceed the index and developing quality-efficiency task forces for those institutions to explore steps to rein in costs; and requiring states to do their part by maintaining support for higher education. These provisions are modeled largely after college cost accountability proposals championed by McKeon and reintroduced most recently in October as part of the College Access and Opportunity Act (H.R. 3746).
“I am encouraged by the introduction of this vital legislation. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is long overdue and I look forward to working closely with my colleagues to make sure that higher education is not only accessible but also affordable for all students,” said Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL), senior Republican on the Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee. “I am particularly pleased and optimistic about the increase for the Pell Grant program.”
“The College Opportunity and Affordability Act is a solid starting point for reforming our nation’s higher education programs,” said McKeon. “I am hopeful that as the legislative process moves forward, we can continue to strengthen this bill by taking steps to improve the recognition of diverse institutions of higher education, more effectively meet the needs of nontraditional students, and continue our efforts to streamline unnecessary programs and bureaucracy.”
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