[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 23, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6679-H6683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY IN HIGHER EDUCATION ACT
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4983) to simplify and streamline the information regarding
institutions of higher education made publicly available by the
Secretary of Education, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
[[Page H6680]]
H.R. 4983
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening Transparency
in Higher Education Act''.
SEC. 2. COLLEGE DASHBOARD WEBSITE.
(a) Establishment.--Section 132 of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``first-time,'';
(B) in paragraph (3) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ``first-time,''; and
(C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``first-time,'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``first-time''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``first-time'';
(3) by striking subsections (c) through (g), (j), and (l);
(4) by redesignating subsections (h), (i), and (k) as
subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively; and
(5) by striking subsection (d) (as so redesignated) and
inserting the following new subsection:
``(d) Consumer Information.--
``(1) Availability of title iv institution information.--
The Secretary shall develop and make publicly available a
website to be known as the `College Dashboard website' in
accordance with this section and prominently display on such
website, in simple, understandable, and unbiased terms for
the most recent academic year for which satisfactory data are
available, the following information with respect to each
institution of higher education that participates in a
program under title IV:
``(A) A link to the website of the institution.
``(B) An identification of the type of institution as one
of the following:
``(i) A four-year public institution of higher education.
``(ii) A four-year private, nonprofit institution of higher
education.
``(iii) A four-year private, for-profit institution of
higher education.
``(iv) A two-year public institution of higher education.
``(v) A two-year private, nonprofit institution of higher
education.
``(vi) A two-year private, for-profit institution of higher
education.
``(vii) A less than two-year public institution of higher
education.
``(viii) A less than two-year private, nonprofit
institution of higher education.
``(ix) A less than two-year private, for-profit institution
of higher education.
``(C) The number of students enrolled at the institution--
``(i) as undergraduate students; and
``(ii) as graduate students, if applicable.
``(D) The student-faculty ratio.
``(E) The percentage of degree-seeking or certificate-
seeking undergraduate students enrolled at the institution
who obtain a degree or certificate within--
``(i) 100 percent of the normal time for completion of, or
graduation from, the program in which the student is
enrolled;
``(ii) 150 percent of the normal time for completion of, or
graduation from, the program in which the student is
enrolled; and
``(iii) 200 percent of the normal time for completion of,
or graduation from, the program in which the student is
enrolled.
``(F) The average net price per year for undergraduate
students receiving Federal student financial aid under title
IV based on an income category selected by the user from a
list containing the following income categories:
``(i) $0 to $30,000.
``(ii) $30,001 to $48,000.
``(iii) $48,001 to $75,000.
``(iv) $75,001 to $110,000.
``(v) $110, 001 to $150,000.
``(vi) Over $150,000.
``(G) A link to the net price calculator for such
institution.
``(H) The percentage of undergraduate students who obtained
a certificate or degree from the institution who borrowed
Federal student loans and the average Federal student loan
debt incurred by an undergraduate student who obtained a
certificate or degree from the institution and borrowed
Federal student loans in the course of obtaining such
certificate or degree.
``(I) A link to national and regional data from the Bureau
of Labor Statistics on starting salaries in all major
occupations.
``(J) A link to the webpage of the institution containing
campus safety data with respect to such institution.
``(2) Additional information.--The Secretary shall publish
on Internet webpages that are linked to through the College
Dashboard website for the most recent academic year for which
satisfactory data is available the following information with
respect to each institution of higher education that
participates in a program under title IV:
``(A) Enrollment.--
``(i) The percentages of male and female undergraduate
students enrolled at the institution.
``(ii) The percentages of undergraduate students enrolled
at the institution--
``(I) full-time; and
``(II) less than full-time.
``(iii) In the case of an institution other than an
institution that provides all courses and programs through
distance education, of the undergraduate students enrolled at
the institution--
``(I) the percentage of such students who are from the
State in which the institution is located;
``(II) the percentage of such students who are from other
States; and
``(III) the percentage of such students who are
international students.
``(iv) The percentages of undergraduate students enrolled
at the institution, disaggregated by--
``(I) race and ethnic background;
``(II) classification as a student with a disability;
``(III) recipients of a Federal Pell Grant;
``(IV) recipients of assistance under a tuition assistance
program conducted by the Department of Defense under section
1784a or 2007 of title 10, United States Code, or other
authorities available to the Department of Defense or
veterans' education benefits (as defined in section 480); and
``(V) recipients of a Federal student loan.
``(B) Completion.--The information required under paragraph
(1)(E), disaggregated by--
``(i) recipients of a Federal Pell Grant;
``(ii) recipients of a loan made under part D (other than a
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan) who did not
receive a Federal Pell Grant;
``(iii) persons who did not receive a Federal Pell Grant or
a loan made under part D (other than a Federal Direct
Unsubsidized Stafford Loan);
``(iv) race and ethnic background;
``(v) classification as a student with a disability; and
``(vi) recipients of assistance under a tuition assistance
program conducted by the Department of Defense under section
1784a or 2007 of title 10, United States Code, or other
authorities available to the Department of Defense or
veterans' education benefits (as defined in section 480).
``(C) Costs.--
``(i) The cost of attendance for full-time undergraduate
students enrolled in the institution who live on campus.
``(ii) The cost of attendance for full-time undergraduate
students enrolled in the institution who live off campus.
``(iii) The cost of tuition and fees for full-time
undergraduate students enrolled in the institution.
``(iv) The cost of tuition and fees per credit hour or
credit hour equivalency for undergraduate students enrolled
in the institution less than full time.
``(v) In the case of a public institution of higher
education (other than an institution described in clause
(vi)) and notwithstanding subsection (b)(1), the costs
described in clauses (i) and (ii) for--
``(I) full-time students enrolled in the institution who
are residents of the State in which the institution is
located; and
``(II) full-time students enrolled in the institution who
are not residents of such State.
``(vi) In the case of a public institution of higher
education that offers different tuition rates for students
who are residents of a geographic subdivision smaller than a
State and students not located in such geographic subdivision
and notwithstanding subsection (b)(1), the costs described in
clauses (i) and (ii) for--
``(I) full-time students enrolled at the institution who
are residents of such geographic subdivision;
``(II) full-time students enrolled at the institution who
are residents of the State in which the institution is
located but not residents of such geographic subdivision; and
``(III) full-time students enrolled at the institution who
are not residents of such State.
``(D) Financial aid.--
``(i) The average annual grant amount (including Federal,
State, and institutional aid) awarded to an undergraduate
student enrolled at the institution who receives financial
aid.
``(ii) The percentage of undergraduate students enrolled at
the institution receiving Federal, State, and institutional
grants, student loans, and any other type of student
financial assistance known by the institution, provided
publicly or through the institution, such as Federal work-
study funds.
``(iii) The cohort default rate (as defined in section
435(m)) for such institution.
``(E) Faculty information.--
``(i) The ratio of the number of course sections taught by
part-time instructors to the number of course sections taught
by full-time faculty, disaggregated by course sections
intended primarily for undergraduate students and course
sections intended primarily for graduate students.
``(ii) The mean and median years of employment for part-
time instructors.
``(3) Other data matters.--
``(A) Completion data.--The Commissioner of Education
Statistics shall ensure that the information required under
paragraph (1)(E) includes information with respect to all
students at an institution, including students other than
first-time, full-time students and students who transfer to
another institution, in a manner that the Commissioner
considers appropriate.
``(B) Adjustment of income categories.--The Secretary may
annually adjust the range of each of the income categories
described in paragraph (1)(F) to account for a change in the
Consumer Price Index for All
[[Page H6681]]
Urban Consumers as determined by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics if the Secretary determines an adjustment is
necessary.
``(4) Institutional comparison.--The Secretary shall
include on the College Dashboard website a method for users
to easily compare the information required under paragraphs
(1) and (2) between institutions.
``(5) Updates.--
``(A) Data.--The Secretary shall update the College
Dashboard website not less than annually.
``(B) Technology and format.--The Secretary shall regularly
assess the format and technology of the College Dashboard
website and make any changes or updates that the Secretary
considers appropriate.
``(6) Consumer testing.--
``(A) In general.--In developing and maintaining the
College Dashboard website, the Secretary, in consultation
with appropriate departments and agencies of the Federal
Government, shall conduct consumer testing with appropriate
persons, including current and prospective college students,
family members of such students, institutions of higher
education, and experts, to ensure that the College Dashboard
website is usable and easily understandable and provides
useful and relevant information to students and families.
``(B) Recommendations for changes.--The Secretary shall
submit to the authorizing committees any recommendations that
the Secretary considers appropriate for changing the
information required to be provided on the College Dashboard
website under paragraphs (1) and (2) based on the results of
the consumer testing conducted under subparagraph (A).
``(7) Provision of appropriate links to prospective
students after submission of FAFSA.--The Secretary shall
provide to each student that submits a Free Application for
Federal Student Aid described in section 483 a link to the
webpage of the College Dashboard website that contains the
information required under paragraph (1) for each institution
of higher education such student includes on such
Application.
``(8) Interagency coordination.--The Secretary, in
consultation with each appropriate head of a department or
agency of the Federal Government, shall ensure to the
greatest extent practicable that any information related to
higher education that is published by such department or
agency is consistent with the information published on the
College Dashboard website.
``(9) References to college navigator website.--Any
reference in this Act to the College Navigator website shall
be considered a reference to the College Dashboard
website.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--The Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), as amended by subsection (a)
of this section, is further amended--
(1) in section 131(h) (20 U.S.C. 1015(h)), by striking
``College Navigator'' and inserting ``College Dashboard'';
and
(2) in section 132(a) (20 U.S.C. 1015a(a)), by striking
paragraph (1) and inserting the following new paragraph:
``(1) College dashboard website.--The term `College
Dashboard website' means the College Dashboard website
required under subsection (d).''.
(c) Development.--The Secretary of Education shall develop
and publish the College Dashboard website required under
section 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1015a), as amended by subsections (a) and (b) of this
section, not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(d) College Navigator Website Maintenance.--The Secretary
shall maintain the College Navigator website required under
section 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1015a), as in effect the day before the date of the enactment
of this Act, in the manner required under the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as in effect on such day, until the
College Dashboard website referred to in subsection (c) is
complete and publicly available on the Internet.
SEC. 3. NET PRICE CALCULATORS.
Subsection (c) of section 132 of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1015a), as redesignated by section 2(a)(4)
of this Act, is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (6); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new
paragraphs:
``(4) Minimum requirements for net price calculators.--Not
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the
Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act, a net
price calculator for an institution of higher education shall
meet the following requirements:
``(A) The link for the calculator shall--
``(i) be clearly labeled as a net price calculator and
prominently, clearly, and conspicuously posted in locations
on the website of such institution where information on costs
and aid is provided and any other location that the
institution considers appropriate; and
``(ii) match in size and font to the other prominent links
on the webpage where the link for the calculator is
displayed.
``(B) The webpage displaying the results for the calculator
shall specify at least the following information:
``(i) The net price (as calculated under subsection (a)(2))
for such institution, which shall be the most visually
prominent figure on the results screen.
``(ii) Cost of attendance, including--
``(I) tuition and fees;
``(II) average annual cost of room and board for the
institution for a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in
the institution;
``(III) average annual cost of books and supplies for a
full-time undergraduate student enrolled in the institution;
and
``(IV) estimated cost of other expenses (including personal
expenses and transportation) for a full-time undergraduate
student enrolled in the institution.
``(iii) Estimated total need-based grant aid and merit-
based grant aid from Federal, State, and institutional
sources that may be available to a full-time undergraduate
student.
``(iv) Percentage of the full-time undergraduate students
enrolled in the institution that received any type of grant
aid described in clause (iii).
``(v) The disclaimer described in paragraph (6).
``(vi) In the case of a calculator that--
``(I) includes questions to estimate the eligibility of a
student or prospective student for veterans' education
benefits (as defined in section 480) or educational benefits
for active duty service members, such benefits are displayed
on the results screen in a manner that clearly distinguishes
such benefits from the grant aid described in clause (iii);
or
``(II) does not include questions to estimate eligibility
for the benefits described in subclause (I), the results
screen indicates that certain students (or prospective
students) may qualify for such benefits and includes a link
to information about such benefits.
``(C) The institution shall populate the calculator with
data from an academic year that is not more than 2 academic
years prior to the most recent academic year.
``(5) Prohibition on use of data collected by the net price
calculator.--A net price calculator for an institution of
higher education shall--
``(A) clearly indicate which questions are required to be
completed for an estimate of the net price from the
calculator;
``(B) in the case of a calculator that requests contact
information from users, clearly mark such requests as
optional and provide for an estimate of the net price from
the calculator without requiring users to enter such
information; and
``(C) prohibit any personally identifiable information
provided by users from being sold or made available to third
parties.''.
SEC. 4. FUNDING.
(a) Use of Existing Funds.--Of the amount authorized to be
appropriated to the Department of Education to maintain the
College Navigator website, $1,000,000 shall be available to
carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
(b) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No funds are
authorized by this Act to be appropriated to carry out this
Act or the amendments made by this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 4983.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of the Strengthening Transparency in Higher
Education Act.
The Education and the Workforce Committee has held 14 hearings on
higher education, and throughout these hearings, it has become
increasingly clear that students and families face a deluge of data
that often provides little to no useful information as they try to make
the important decisions of where to pursue postsecondary educations.
Despite repeated attempts to enhance transparency in the higher
education system, students and families still struggle to access
important information that will assist in their searches for the right
colleges or universities. To make matters worse, data that is available
often ignores a large portion of students enrolled in the postsecondary
education system or fails to capture crucial information students and
families need to view the entire landscape of higher education.
That is why my colleague, Representative Luke Messer, and I authored
the bill before us today. The Strengthening Transparency in Higher
Education Act attempts to streamline existing Federal transparency
efforts to avoid duplicative information and confusion for students by
creating a consumer-tested college dashboard that would display only
key information students need when deciding which schools to attend
[[Page H6682]]
as well as ensuring that all students are appropriately represented in
the data presented.
Taxpayers provide a great deal of money to help students attend the
institutions of their choice and to pursue their passions. Therefore,
we should make every effort to see that students have the best
information available to help them make good decisions for where to
continue their educations. The Strengthening Transparency in Higher
Education Act seeks to make that information more accessible and easier
to understand.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation, which
passed with bipartisan support out of the Education Committee.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise to express my support for H.R. 4983, the Strengthening
Transparency in Higher Education Act.
The underlying bill strengthens the state of transparency in higher
education by establishing a new college dashboard Web site, which
replaces the Network Navigator and ensures the inclusion of
nontraditional students in the data matrix.
The college dashboard Web site will provide better and more
accessible information for students and families. Key information will
consist of enrollment and completion data on full-time and part-time
students as well as those segregated by Pell recipients--or race and
ethnicity and disability--as well as information on net price, average
student loan debt, and college costs.
The bill promotes transparency on the use of adjunct faculty. For the
first time, our Nation's colleges will be required to report the ratio
of part-time to full-time instructors by degree level. In addition,
this legislation creates a more accessible calculator with clearer,
more individualized information on student costs. Finally, the bill
requires that the college dashboard Web site be consumer-tested with
other agencies and students and institutions and experts to ensure it
provides understandable and relevant information.
I am proud to say that Texas has been a leader in this area. The
University of Texas' system, for example, has developed an impressive
college productivity dashboard designed to increase transparency and to
measure productivity in a more effective way. Above all, the UT
system's dashboard also provides students, families, and policymakers
with robust data and information that they can use to make more
informed decisions.
Having better data and information has allowed the University of
Texas to identify achievement gaps and to make improvements in areas
that need reform. More accurate data on college participation and
completion, for instance, can help to improve student outcomes,
particularly for low-income students and students of color.
In closing, I applaud Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and
Ranking Member Foxx for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this
legislation, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
vote in favor of H.R. 4983.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Messer), my distinguished colleague and cosponsor for this
legislation.
{time} 1345
Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation, which
will provide prospective students with better information to make more
informed choices about pursuing their higher education.
I want to commend Chairman Kline and subcommittee Chairwoman Foxx for
bringing this measure forward. And I want to thank my colleague, the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for his leadership on this topic as
well.
In modern life, few decisions are bigger than whether to attend
college and which college to attend. The right choice can be a head
start towards a strong financial future. The wrong choice can leave a
student without a degree and in tens of thousands of dollars of debt.
There is no magic formula for finding the best fit, but having access
to clear and relevant data can make the decision easier and less
overwhelming. Unfortunately, when making this important choice,
students and their families are often faced with a convoluted maze of
statistics which don't allow them to make fully informed, cost-
conscious decisions.
This legislation will ensure that students have the information they
need to make good decisions for their future. Helping students more
easily find the schools that are right for them will encourage their
academic success, avoid unnecessary student debt, and enhance their
professional prospects after graduation.
I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Scott), a distinguished member of the Education
Committee.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
4983, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act. It is
critical that prospective students have access to information on
institutions that they may be interested in attending, and the bill
before us would provide the platform for these students to gather this
information.
This information is essential to ensuring that students will be able
to make an informed decision on which institution to attend.
While providing students with additional information on institutions
of higher learning is important, none of the bills before us actually
will do anything to actually ensure that every student is given every
chance possible of receiving an education past high school level.
Studies have consistently shown the value of higher education, and
have also shown that two-thirds of the jobs in the future will require
some sort of education past the high school level.
Unfortunately, many students today find higher education unaffordable
and out of reach due to the increasing cost of attending college and
high student loan interest rates. Currently, the Federal Government
makes a significant profit on student loans, with the Congressional
Budget Office estimating that the Federal Government will profit $135
billion over the next 10 years off of student loans.
We must continue to ensure that college remains affordable and
accessible to all that seek it, and I look forward to working with my
colleagues on the Education and the Workforce Committee towards that
goal.
On the bill before us today, however, I urge my colleagues to support
H.R. 4983, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to our distinguished
colleague from Tennessee (Mr. Roe).
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R.
4983, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act.
With the cost of a college education increasing, and outstanding
student loan debt now at a staggering $1.2 trillion, it is more
important than ever for students and their families to have the
necessary information to make informed decisions about their
educational pursuits.
This legislation empowers students and their families by improving
the dissemination of key information about colleges and universities
through a consumer-tested college dashboard.
This bill coordinates and streamlines information from multiple
Federal agencies to assist students in comparing schools to determine
which will best suit their unique needs.
The only college completion rates currently available to students and
their families are for the traditional, first-time, full-time student.
At East Tennessee State University in my hometown, only about 60
percent of the students fit this description, leaving a significant
portion of students not represented by the data.
Completion rates for other groups of students, such as veterans and
Pell Grant recipients, are included in the college dashboard to ensure
that this information is representative of all students.
Surprisingly, despite spending approximately $32 billion each year to
provide Pell Grants to over 9 million students, we have little
information about the educational outcomes for these students. By
taking a more thorough look at the results this program is producing,
we can improve the likelihood of student success.
In addition to providing students and parents with better
information, this
[[Page H6683]]
bill will give us new tools to help strengthen the Pell Grants program,
while ensuring it is a good investment for taxpayers.
To ensure that resource is utilized, students will be provided links
to the college dashboard for each prospective school they look at, thus
providing this important information to them at the pinnacle of their
college search.
I thank the chairwoman and the ranking member on this bipartisan
legislation, and I encourage its support.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield 3 minutes to my
colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).
Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas.
This bill creates a new Department of Education Web site that
includes data allowing prospective students to better understand the
cost of specific institutions, and I thank the chairman and the ranking
member for working with me to improve this bill before it came to the
floor.
The current Department of Education Web site is incomplete and
misleading. The current Web site does not include the net price to a
student according to that student's income level, which could cause,
and does cause, lower and middle class students to reject schools that
they, in fact, could afford.
They or their parents would see average net price, calculated for all
students, and immediately assume it is unaffordable for them. The
changes that I have included in this bill allow a parent or a
prospective student to find, upfront, on the home page, the average net
price of attending, based on the family's income level. And this
information may lead students to consider institutions they would have
otherwise excluded.
The difference between the average cost, calculated for all students,
and the cost to a student, say, from a $40,000 income level, may be
many thousands of dollars.
Now, I should add, in conclusion, that while this bill that we take
up today makes some progress, this and the other bills we will be
considering fall short of what is really needed: a comprehensive effort
to help more students afford college.
We should be considering doubling the Pell Grants, reducing student
loan interest rates, and doing all those other things that would be in
a comprehensive higher education bill. I am sorry to say we are
ignoring those solutions.
Nevertheless, I welcome the modest improvements that we will see in
the legislation being considered here, and I hope that soon we will get
to the comprehensive higher education legislation that the students of
America deserve.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker I am honored to yield 3 minutes to my
colleague from Maryland (Mr. Cummings).
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ranking Member Hinojosa
for the time, and I thank the chairman and Ranking Member Miller, and
Chairwoman Foxx for their hard work on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4983, the Strengthening
Transparency in Higher Education Act. This legislation will help
prospective students and their families by providing more accessible
information about the costs of attending our Nation's colleges and
universities.
The bill before us today includes provisions that I authored that
will improve a tool already available to help students and their
families assess the cost of attending college, the net price
calculator.
Currently, students and families have to guess where the calculators
are located on the schools' Web pages, what each school calls the
calculator, and whether the information it provides is accurate.
Additionally, veterans and servicemembers must try to determine
whether the estimates provided by such calculators accurately reflect
the academic benefits they have earned through their service.
As the ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform
Committee, one of my roles is to help government work more effectively
and efficiently.
My bill, the Net Price Calculator Improvement Act, H.R. 3694,
addresses the challenges identified with current net price calculators
by ensuring that they will provide consistent and comparable price
information for colleges and universities based on up-to-date data.
My legislation would also ensure that institutions place the
calculators in consistent locations on their Web sites, and it would
protect students who use the calculators from data mining.
I applaud my colleagues on the Education and the Workforce Committee
for including these critical provisions in H.R. 4983, and urge the
passage of this legislation.
As I close, let me note that the bill before us is an important first
step in the process of reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, and it
contains important reforms. However, our work will not be done by
simply passing this bill.
The bills before the House this week ignore the bread and butter of
the Federal higher education policy, Federal student aid. We must
reauthorize the Higher Education Act in its entirety as quickly as
possible.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Before I close, I want to say that I look forward to working with my
friends on the other side of the aisle as soon as possible so that we
can complete, in its entirety, the reauthorization of higher education
which is greatly needed here in our country.
Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank our colleagues on both
sides of the aisle for working together on what I think is an important
piece of legislation that will help families and students in the
future.
I want to give particular thanks to the staffs on both sides of the
aisle. The Education and the Workforce Committee has been very active
this year and last year on presenting excellent legislation to this
House, and I want to thank the staff for their good work.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R.
4983, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4983, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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