Based on an idea of self-regulation, accreditation was originally developed to assure and improve excellence in higher education programs. When the federal government began investing in higher education, accreditation took on another role by ensuring that the gate to federal funds is open only to high quality academic institutions. Today the federal government, states, and accrediting agencies – k... Read more »
Dear Assistant Secretary Michaels: On February 21, 2013, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a letter of interpretation allowing Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHO or inspectors) to be accompanied by third-parties who are selected by employees of the company being inspected. Rescinding a previous letter of interpretation from March 7, 2003, referred to as the “... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) has called on President Obama and Senate Democrats to work with congressional Republicans to negotiate a long-term solution to the student loan interest rate problem. During an interview posted on the Yahoo! Finance website earlier today, Chairman Kline said, "I’ve felt for a long time that we ought to get out of the business o... Read more »
As the title of the hearing suggests, today we will begin to review possible reforms to the nation’s multiemployer pension system. In 2014 provisions in the Pension Protection Act affecting multiemployer pensions are set to expire. For more than a year the committee has looked closely at the challenges facing this pension system, which is relied upon by more than 10 million individuals. Academics,... Read more »
There may be few issues that Republicans and Democrats agree on these days, but protecting college students and graduates from sky-high student loan rates should be one of them. The Smarter Solutions for Students Act, currently pending before the Senate, ties student loan rates to the market instead of leaving interest rates up to politicians’ whims. On July 1, these rates are set to double from ... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, issued the following statement on the Obama administration’s decision to continue pursuing the widely-panned ‘gainful employment’ regulation: It is disgraceful the administration continues to ignore the significant threat the so... Read more »
On Thursday, June 13 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), will hold a hearing entitled, “Keeping College Within Reach: Discussing Program Quality Through Accreditation.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Accreditation plays an important role in promoting the academic quality of... Read more »
On Wednesday June 12, at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, chaired by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), will hold a hearing entitled, “Strengthening the Multiemployer Pension System: What Reforms Should Policymakers Consider?" The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Multiemployer defined benefit pension plans are created by collecti... Read more »
On Saturday Representative Luke Messer (R-IN) discussed the Smarter Solutions for Students Act (H.R. 1911) in the weekly GOP address. Recently approved by the House of Representatives, this commonsense legislation would stop new subsidized student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st. During his remarks, Rep. Messer explained how H.R. 1911 is a long-term, market-based solution that takes ... Read more »
It wasn’t long ago the president supported a permanent solution to the student loan interest rate crisis. Here is how the administration described the president’s plan in April of this year: The Administration’s FY 2014 Budget proposes to change the structure of interest rates on Federal student and parent loans to provide market-based rates tied to the 10-year Treasury note with specified basis p... Read more »
