February 8, 2008

Dear Friend:

The prospect of attending and graduating from college should not be an impossible dream in America. Yet, students continue to confront skyrocketing tuitions that may force them to make difficult and potentially life-altering decisions. Some students end up taking on substantial debt, some put their hopes of pursuing higher education on hold, while others may forgo college completely. Since being elected to Congress, I have worked to make college more affordable and accessible so that students can achieve their educational and professional goals.

As a senior member on the Education and Labor Committee, I helped craft legislation entitled "The College Opportunity and Affordability Act” (H.R.4137), which passed today in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill renews the Higher Education Act, which authorizes the federal government's involvement in postsecondary education and includes key student financial aid programs.

The bill, which was approved by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 354 to 58, includes key priorities to students and families that would:

• Encourage colleges to rein in price increases and provide consumers with helpful information;
• Restore integrity and accountability to the student loan industry;
• Simplify the federal student aid application process;
• Make textbook costs more manageable;
• Expand college access and support for low-income and minority students;
• Increase college aid and support for veterans and military families;
• Ensure equal college opportunities for students with disabilities;
• Boost campus safety and disaster readiness plans;
• Encourage colleges to adopt sustainable and energy-efficient practices; and,
• Strengthen our workforce and our competitiveness

In addition, I authored provisions in the legislation that help to compel states to maintain their financial support of public higher education institutions in these challenging economic times. This is important because, according to College Board figures, over the past 30 years public four-year institutions posted their largest increases in tuition and fees at precisely the same times that state and local appropriations declined. It is clear that a lack of stable support at the state level is one of the most significant factors determining public-college tuition and fee rates.

Further, in an attempt to learn more about an emerging issue, I worked to include language in this bill that that requires the Secretary of Education to gather data and report back to Congress on the current sizes of college endowments, their growth over the past 20 years, and the extent to which endowment funds are restricted by charitable givers. This information will determine if endowments, funded by tax-deductible dollars, are being used to appropriately advance higher education goals.

The College Opportunity and Affordability Act seeks to help students accomplish something that they may have never dreamed was financially possible. This is precisely the kind of work Congress should be doing and I will keep fighting to see that this bill is signed into law.

I encourage you to share this letter with friends and family. Also, as always, please feel free to call my Peabody office at (978) 531-1669 if you would like further information.

Be well.

John F. Tierney
Member of Congress