Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to offer this Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to H.R. 1949, the Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act. Few decisions in life are bigger than whether to attend college and which college to attend. Yet many families struggle to wade through the complicated maze of statistics to find the information they need to make fully informed, cost... Read more »
As many of us know, on July 1, today’s 3.4 percent subsidized Stafford Loan interest rate is set to double to 6.8 percent for millions of current students – all because elected officials made a promise they couldn’t afford to keep for the long-haul. Student borrowers shouldn’t have to ride the roller coaster of political largesse wondering every year whether Congress will intervene in time to adju... Read more »
Today the committee will consider a pair of higher education bills designed to tackle two significant problems facing students. The first piece of legislation before us today is H.R. 1949, the Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act. Introduced by Rep. Luke Messer of Indiana’s 6th District, this legislation will inform the committee’s efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act... Read more »
Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the landmark “Nation at Risk” report. By starkly illuminating the failures in K-12 schools, this Reagan-era report sparked a national conversation on the state of education in America. Without a doubt, “Nation at Risk” could be considered the catalyst for the modern education reform movement. In the years following the report’s release, states and school d... Read more »
Thank you, Chairman Roe. On behalf of the people of Concord, please allow me to extend a warm welcome and offer my sincere appreciation for convening this hearing today. I am particularly thankful for Rowan Cabarrus Community College allowing us to host this hearing on their campus. I served on the Board of Trustees at this college from 2002-2005 and I know what an integral part of the community i... Read more »
Good morning everyone. First, allow me to take a moment to thank our witnesses for joining us. We know you all are very busy, and we appreciate the opportunity to hear your thoughts on the very important issue of health care. Second, I would like to thank the people of Concord, North Carolina and the community college staff for their hospitality. The Herald-Sun recently reported on a job fair orga... Read more »
Good morning, and welcome to today’s subcommittee hearing. I’d like to thank our panel of witnesses for joining this important discussion on higher education transparency. Receiving a college acceptance letter can be one of the most joyous moments in a student’s academic career. But for many families, that moment is often followed with the question: can we afford it? In January the New York Times ... Read more »
For many Americans, balancing the demands of family and work is extremely difficult. Supporting a family is about more than providing an income. It’s about spending time with loved ones, cherishing good moments, caring for each other during difficult times. No doubt some workers would seize an opportunity to earn a few extra dollars, perhaps to cover an unexpected home repair or purchase a student... Read more »
In the coming months, we will work together to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Established in 1965, this law is intended to help low- and middle-income students earn a degree. The 2008 reauthorization of the law included several provisions to help enhance transparency, requiring colleges and universities to make information about price, demographics, financial aid, and graduation rates avail... Read more »
Today we will discuss H.R. 1406, the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013. This important legislation would allow private-sector employees to choose paid time off or ‘comp time’ as compensation for working overtime hours. For nearly 30 years, public-sector workers have been able to earn comp time and it’s only fair to extend the same benefit to millions of workers in the private-sector. Today'... Read more »
