Education and Labor Committee Advances College Affordability Act with Key Provisions from Rep. Mark Takano
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) helped advance the College Affordability Act (CAA) in the Education and Labor Committee. The CAA is a comprehensive overhaul of higher education that ensures students can spend less and earn more to further their education. The legislation aims to lower the cost of college, improve the quality of higher education by holding institutions accountable, and expand opportunities for students from all backgrounds.
The legislation includes key provisions introduced by Rep. Mark Takano to hold for-profit colleges accountable, close the 90/10 loophole that allows for-profits to prey on student veterans and low-income and minority students, improve the student loan forgiveness program for teachers, address food insecurity on college campuses, and improve data on student loan defaults.
“As a public-school teacher and a former community college trustee, I have seen how having access to a quality education can help propel students’ dreams and enable greater socioeconomic mobility,” said Rep. Mark Takano. “The College Affordability Act is a smart investment in our higher education system that will make college an attainable reality for more students, hold predatory institutions accountable, and improve the quality of education that students receive. Getting a college education should not lead to insurmountable debt that is difficult to repay. We must remove the costly barriers that prevent students from gaining a foothold into the middle class.”
The landmark legislation comes more than 10 years after the last reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) and at a time when the combination of rising tuition and inconsistent quality is undermining students’ access to the benefits of a college degree.
The provisions in the CAA championed by Rep. Mark Takano include language that would:
- Establish gainful employment rules from H.R. 4206 - the Student and Taxpayer Protection Act. Gainful employment requirements are intended to protect students from the worst performing training programs that leave them with insurmountable amounts of debt that they are unable to pay back because their earnings are so low.
- Close the 90/10 loophole found in H.R. 3487 - the Protections and Regulations for Our Students (PRO Students) Act. This would require for-profit institutions to derive at least 15% of their revenue from non-federal student aid dollars and would close the GI bill loophole by requiring that military and veteran’s education benefits are included in the federal student aid calculation.
- Codify the Borrower Defense to Repayment rule from H.R. 3487 - the Protections and Regulations for Our Students (PRO Students) Act. This ensures students that are defrauded by their schools are granted relief from their student loan debt.
- Make it easier for teachers to qualify for student loan forgiveness from H.R. 4647 – the Teacher Debt Relief Act, which allows a teacher’s five years of classroom service to count towards both the Stafford Student Loan Forgiveness (SSLF) program and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program
- Address food insecurity on college campuses found in H.R. 4637 – the Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act, which requires that institutions of higher education provide notice to students receiving federal work study assistance about their potential eligibility for participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Change the way the cohort default rate is calculated from H.R. 4662 – the Accountability in Student Loan Data Act. This change prevents institutions from manipulating data to make their numbers seem smaller and also creates penalties for institutions with a high percentage of graduates who are unable to repay their student loans.
More information about the College Affordability Act can be found here.
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