As the only New England representative on the House
Committee on Education and the Workforce, education is a high legislative
priority for Congressman Tierney. He continues to work to take steps to ensure
that our schools, teachers and students have the resources they need and the
support they deserve. Noting that education is key to personal and national
success, he is also a strong supporter of adult education programs to enable
everyone to achieve their fullest potential.
Congressman Tierney is a strong advocate of a federal
partnership with state and local governments in upgrading the nation's schools,
and he has joined in sponsoring a measure to strengthen local efforts to provide
safe and drug-free schools. In his continuing efforts to reduce class sizes in
the early grades and to ensure fully qualified teachers in every classroom,
Congressman Tierney has sponsored the Alternative Paths to Teaching Act,
which has been absorbed into the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill (H.R.
609) to encourage America's best and brightest students to enter the teaching
profession.
Congressman Tierney introduced the
College Affordability and Accountability Act (H.R. 2739), joined by
co-author Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) and 41 co-sponsors. The College
Affordability and Accountability Act would reinvigorate the federal-state-school
partnership for affordable higher education by providing incentives and
promoting best practices to keep tuition low. States would be required to
maintain adequate levels of support for higher education. It would require all
colleges and universities to implement and report on cost containment strategies
as a means to keep tuition prices low. In addition, the Act commissions a
national campaign to identify and implement best practices to stop rising
tuition.
The College Affordability and Accountability Act also
provides incentives to make tuition affordable: the Act would provide additional
mandatory Pell Grant funds, or “Pell Plus Grants,” to schools that keep their
annual net tuition increases at a rate equal to, or below, the increase in the
Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) for that academic year. In addition, schools
that guarantee low tuition rates to incoming classes of students through their
graduation would receive additional Pell Plus student aid. Further, the Act
puts students and families in control because it would provide them access to
accurate information about the cost of college and steps individual schools are
taking to offer affordable rates of tuition.
Congressman Tierney remains
dedicated to substantially increasing our commitment to federal education
investments and providing the resources necessary for students to receive a high
quality education.
