In
1965,
President
Lyndon
B.
Johnson
signed
into
law
the
Higher
Education
Act
a
pillar
of
his
domestic
agenda
intended
to
“strengthen
the
educational
resources
of
our
colleges
and
universities
and
to
provide
financial
assistance
for
students
in
postsecondary
and
higher
education.” Preparing
our
students
to
be
successful
in
life
continues
to
be
a
worthy
goal
we
should
all
strive
to
achieve.
More
than
five
decades
later,
federal
aid
programs
are
a
chaotic
maze
full
of
outdated
requirements
and
red
tape
that
have
driven
up
the
cost
of
college
and
make
postsecondary
education
too
difficult
to
access
for
too
many
people.
Meanwhile,
more
jobs
today
require
postsecondary
credentials
or
technical
skills
to
fill
these
good-paying,
family-sustaining
jobs.
Reforms
are
crucial
to
ensuring
our
higher
education
system
is
preparing
the
next
generation
of
high-skilled
workers
to
succeed
in
a
21st-century
economy.
Last
week,
the
House
Education
and
the
Workforce
Committee
debated
and
passed
the
PROSPER
Act
legislation
that
will
reform
the
college
marketplace
by
promoting
innovation,
access,
and
completion;
improving
federal
student
aid;
empowering
students
and
families
to
make
informed
decisions;
and
ensuring
strong
accountability
and
a
limited
federal
role.
The
committee
also
unanimously
agreed
to
my
amendment
that
will
help
colleges
and
universities
combat
the
opioid
epidemic
that
has
swept
across
Pennsylvania
and
the
nation.
You
can
read
about
my
amendment
here.
But
the
process
is
still
ongoing.
I
encourage
you
to
read
more
about
this
legislation,
including
summaries
and
the
bill
text,
here.
Please
feel
free
to
share
your
feedback
with
me
here,
or
call
my
office
at
202-225-2411.
You
can
also
read
my
recent
column
in
LNP
about
this
legislation
here. |