The College Opportunity and Affordability Act

As a student preparing for college, I can say firsthand that college is unbelievably expensive and the process for applying for aid is long and painful. Congress recognizes this problem and is working on fixing it. On February 7, the US House passed the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which is a reauthoriztion of the Higher Education Act. The bill passed with a vote of 354 - 58. The bill hopes to:

• lessen the cost of a higher education
• encourage colleges and universities to make tuition and aid information more easily accessable
• improve student loan programs
• simplify the aid application process
• make text books more affordable
• expand college access for minorities and low-income families
• improve safety and disaster plans
• help students with disabilities
• increase aid for veterans and military families

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkf7_WvHkMg for an interview with George Miller, committee chairman.

*information gathered from House website, visit for more information : http://edlabor.house.gov/

Education in the Senate

The main committee that deals with education in the senate is the HELP committee, the Health, Education, Labor, and Petitions committee. Edward M. Kennedy is the chairman and Michael B. Enzi is the Ranking Member.

This committee in the Senate has juristiction over bills such as NCLB, the Head Start Program, Higher Education, the Arts and Humanities, Student Financial Aid, IDEA, Workforce Investment Act, and Job and Vocational Training.

Today, Kennedy commented on the cost of Federal Student aid. He advocated that direct loans are better and more cost effective for the tax payer. Last year, the government increased Student aid by over $20 billion, which is the largest increase since the G.I. Bill. For the whole release visit, http://help.senate.gov/Maj_press/2008_02_04_a.pdf.

*Because it is something that directly affects me and many of my peers this year, I thought I'd mention the financial aid piece....This year, the government will provide over $83 billion to help students and families afford a higher education. Aid comes in the form of loans, grants, and work-study programs.

The website for this committee is http://help.senate.gov/Education_index.html