[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 145 (Thursday, October 16, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCING THE AFFORDABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 16, 2003

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for 
the Affordability in Higher Education Act, legislation I authored to 
address the college cost crisis that is facing our Nation. This bill 
moves beyond the rhetoric, and offers real solutions that will hold 
colleges accountable and empower consumers as we all work together to 
keep higher education affordable.
  For decades, the cost of higher education has been rising 
dramatically. Tuition increases have far outpaced increases in the rate 
of inflation and the growth in family incomes, and these skyrocketing 
costs are having a devastating impact on American students and 
families. This is not a new problem. Over half a decade ago I stood 
here and voiced these same concerns. And several years before that, 
Senator Frank Lautenberg was leading a similar charge to keep college 
affordable. Yet in all that time, we have been unable to find 
solutions, and the cost of college just keeps going up.
  According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, 
cost factors are preventing 48 percent of college-qualified low-income 
students from attending a four-year institution, and 22 percent from 
having access to any college at all. At the rate we are going, by the 
end of the decade 2 million students will lose out on the chance to 
achieve the dream of a college education. This is unacceptable, and I 
believe we can no longer stand idly by while our Nation's students, the 
future of our country, are being priced out of the promise of higher 
education.
  The Affordability in Higher Education Act is simple in its purpose, 
but monumental in its potential to help struggling students and 
families. The bill proposes to empower the consumers of higher 
education--students and parents--with significant information on higher 
education, and hold colleges and universities accountable for the 
dramatic cost increases that are hampering our Nation's ability to make 
the dream of higher education a reality for needy students.
  The bill establishes a ``College Affordability Index,'' a standard 
measure by which the consumers of higher education can understand and 
compare tuition increases in real terms. Using data already being 
reported by colleges and universities, the U.S. Department of Education 
will make information about college costs, including the College 
Affordability Index, publicly available through a user friendly 
website.

  The bill provides colleges and universities with ample time to meet 
the challenge of affordability, and beginning in 2008, schools will 
begin to be held accountable for their cost increases. Using the 
College Affordability Index, schools that increase their tuition and 
fees by more than twice the rate of inflation over a three year period 
will be required to provide more information and undertake actions to 
improve affordability.
  I believe one of the most important factors in addressing the college 
cost crisis is the need to empower consumers. Parents and students 
simply do not have access to adequate information necessary to make 
informed decisions in the higher education marketplace. And as we 
empower consumers and encourage accountability, we must also embrace 
innovation.
  That's why the Affordability in Higher Education Act includes a 
demonstration program that will encourage schools to look for 
innovative strategies to hold down costs without sacrificing quality. 
The bill would grant waivers to schools which apply and are chosen to 
participate--allowing these institutions to have the freedom to find 
new ways to improve affordability and ultimately, increase access.
  The face of higher education has changed significantly in recent 
years, and while college costs are a formidable barrier, the fact is, 
today's students face other obstacles as they work to reach their 
higher education goals. One of the most needless and often frustrating 
obstacles is an inability to transfer credits among institutions.
  Recent data from the Department of Education tells us that over half 
of the nation's postsecondary education students attend more than one 
college or university. Yet many of these students struggle to transfer 
their credits, and as a result must retake coursework which costs both 
time and money. The bill recognizes that students deserve to have 
freedom and flexibility, and would make it easier for students to 
transfer credits. Let me be clear--the bill does not mandate 
coursework, nor does it require that particular credits be accepted to 
or from particular institutions. It simply makes it clear that credits 
cannot be denied based solely on what organization accredited the 
institution, so long as it is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of 
Education. Such territorial or political practices are harming 
students, and must not continue.
  As colleges and universities strive to meet the challenge of 
affordability, I also believe we must also do our part at the Federal 
level to make that possible. Schools often tell us that they are 
burdened by voluminous and often unnecessary regulations and paperwork 
requirements. We must ease that burden by eliminating such cumbersome 
requirements. Last year, through the FED UP initiative, we made great 
strides in reducing red tape and eliminating unnecessary and costly 
regulations. The bill I'm offering today will continue that effort, and 
help institutions as they work to increase affordability.
  Taken together, the reforms in this bill will make a real difference 
to the millions of students and families who are counting on us. The 
future of our Nation--today more than ever--depends on our ability to 
educate our students. We cannot allow the continued explosion of 
college costs to go unchecked. The time has come to find solutions, and 
today, I believe we are taking a step in the right direction.
  I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this important 
measure, Mr. Speaker; and I look forward to a higher education system 
that is accessible to every single American student who strives for it, 
regardless of financial circumstances. Our students, and our Nation, 
deserve nothing less.

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