Higher Education Reauthorization
From our discussions with congressional staff, we've once
again heard rumors that Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray are
working towards writing a bi-partisan comprehensive Higher Education Act. The
impetus for this decision comes from (1) the simple fact that the law is
7-years overdue for an update, and (2) Alexander is chasing one last win before
leaving Capitol Hill for good.
Theoretically, the path toward reauthorizing HEA should be
more straightforward than last year since Alexander was able to pass the Future
Act, which reduced the FASFA form by 20 plus questions, extended pell grants to short-term programs and incarcerated individuals, and increased the
transparency of the costs associated with post-secondary programs.
That said, we've heard this story before, and given (1) the
fact that it’s an election year; as well as (2) the outstanding
disagreements between Senate Republicans and Democrats over Titles IV and II of
HEA, it's unlikely Congress will be able to update HEA before the end of this
year's legislative session. Regardless, AASA will keep you updated on any
developments, and continue advocating for additional resources to address the ongoing teacher shortage issue.