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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES NEGOTIATED
RULEMAKINGS
On April 15, 2013, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE)
published a notice in the Federal
Register that USDE will hold negotiated rulemakings over the next
several years "to address more directly access to, and the affordability
of, higher education and possible steps to improve the quality of higher
education in the United States and to better encourage students to complete
their education." "Negotiated rulemaking" is a process by
which the federal government consults with key constituents as part of
drafting or revising regulations.
USDE will establish a negotiated rulemaking committee later
in 2013 to draft regulations intended to prevent fraud related to federal
student aid program funds. The negotiated rulemaking will address issues that
include cash management of federal financial aid funds, state authorization
for programs offered through distance education, state authorization for
foreign locations of institutions located in a state, clock-to-credit hour
conversion, gainful employment, changes made by the Violence Against Women
Reauthorization Act of 2013 to the campus safety and security reporting
requirements in the Higher Education Act (HEA) and the definition of
"adverse credit" for borrowers in the Federal Direct PLUS Loan Program.
State authorization and gainful employment regulations have been the subject
of litigation during the past two years, with several legal rulings blocking
implementation by USDE.
USDE will hold three public hearings in May 2013 on the
proposed topics for the negotiated rulemaking and will seek suggestions for
additional topics. The hearings will be held in Washington, DC on May 21, in
Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 23 and in San Francisco, California on May 30.
More information on the hearings, including how members of the public may
register to make presentations, may be found in the Federal Register notice.
The negotiated rulemaking committee will begin meeting in September 2013 in
the Washington, DC area. Committee members will be chosen following the
public hearings.
U.S.
SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOLD HEARINGS ON COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions (HELP) and the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce
Training both held hearings on college affordability on April 16, 2013. The
hearings were described as preparing for the process of reauthorizing the
HEA, expected to begin later in 2013 or early in 2014.
The Senate hearing, "The Challenge of College Affordability:
The Student Lens," featured testimony addressing the cost of higher
education, The House hearing, "Keeping College Within Reach: The Role of
Federal Student Aid Programs," included witnesses addressing student aid
and its impact on college affordability. Copies of testimony and archived
webcasts of the hearings are available on the committees' Websites.
The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Workforce
will hold an additional hearing, "Keeping College Within Reach: Enhancing
Transparency for Student, Families and Taxpayers," on April 24, 2013.
IMMIGRATION REFORM LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN U.S.
SENATE INCLUDES PROVISION ON ACCREDITATION
A bill to provide for comprehensive immigration reform was
introduced in the U.S. Senate on April 17, 2013 by eight Senate Democrats and
Republicans. The legislation (S. 744) contains language similar to that in visa bills
introduced recently in the Senate and House (see Federal Update #31)
regarding accrediting organizations' recognition by USDE or the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation.
The language in the Senate immigration reform legislation
stipulates that, in order for immigrants with advanced degrees in a field of
science, technology, engineering or mathematics from a U.S. institution or
program to receive a visa, the institution that awarded the degree must be
"accredited by an accrediting body that is itself accredited by either
the Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation."
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The Federal Update informs CHEA members and interested parties on
federal policy developments related to self-regulation and peer review.
Please direct any inquiries or comments to Jan Friis, CHEA Vice President for
Government Affairs, at friis@chea.org or
at (202) 955-6126. Copyright 2013, Council for Higher Education Accreditation. All rights reserved. |
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