Congress Extends Higher Ed Act - Again

On June 21, the House passed HR 5603, a bill to extend the Higher Education Act (HEA) through September 30 of this year. Authored by 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Chairman Ric Keller (R-FL), the non-controversial bi-partisan measure passed under suspension of the rules. The Senate okayed the legislation on June 23 by unanimous consent, clearing it for the President. Under HR 5603, discretionary programs such as Pell Grants, College Work Study, and GEAR UP and TRIO will continue to operate as they currently do. Mandatory programs governed by the HEA, such as federal direct and guaranteed student loans, were extended earlier this year under the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA). In many cases these mandatory programs will be subject to new terms and conditions, including changes to student and parent interest rates, which will take effect on July 1. This marks the sixth time the HEA - last reauthorized for five years in 1998 - has been extended.

Draft Report Praises CSU Preparation And Outreach Efforts

The Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education recently released a rough draft of the report it is supposed to finalize by mid-September. The draft is already causing plenty of angst in the higher ed community for both its tone and its content. The CSU, however, is singled out for positive treatment in the paper, in a section where four "promising practices" are highlighted (in the key areas of access, affordability, quality and innovation, and accountability). The section praises CSU efforts related to increasing access and improving preparation, such as the Early Assessment Program (EAP), minority community outreach, "How to Get to College" posters and the CSU Mentor web site. All of these were stressed by Chancellor Reed during his appearance before the Commission in San Diego in February.

On a related note, the internet publication Inside Higher Ed has run a series all week entitled "Shoe Leather Recruiting: A Special Report," which describes a wide range of community outreach efforts being made by the CSU.

Immigration Hearings Will Include Look At Higher Ed

Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, announced a series of hearings in July and August to review crucial aspects of and prospective changes to U. S. immigration law. Beginning in mid-July, hearings will be held on Capitol Hill at both the subcommittee and full committee level, considering issues in both the workforce and higher education arenas. Field hearings will also be scheduled for August, during Congress' month-long recess. Among the topics likely to be examined is a provision in the Senate immigration bill (S 2611) to allow states to provide in-state tuition to certain undocumented immigrants.

Both Chambers Progress On Annual Appropriations Bills

As the 4th of July recess approaches, both the House and Senate are pushing ahead with work on the eleven annual appropriations bills needed to fund federal programs for the fiscal year that begins October 1. By week's end, the House should have completed work on its versions of all but the always contentious Labor-HHS-Education measure, although that bill, HR 5647, has been passed through committee. HR 5647, as passed by committee, contains $150,000 for equipment for CSUPERB's biotech workforce training project, a top systemwide priority. On the Senate side, last week the Appropriations Committee set its FY 07 caps for each of the bills, which included approximately $5 billion more than the President's requested level for Labor-HHS-Education (the Senate amount is similar to the level contained in the House bill). Before recessing, the Senate is likely to have completed committee work on FY 07 bills for: Agriculture; Interior; Energy and Water; Homeland Security; and Legislative Branch. The Senate's Ag measure contains $990,000 for the CSU's systemwide priority Agricultural Research Initiative (ARI), complementing the $1.1 million earmarked earlier for the program by the House. The subcommittee has scheduled mark-up of its Labor-HHS-Education measure for July 18.