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.