Committee on Education and Labor - U.S. House of Representatives

Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008


Support for the Higher Education Opportunity Act

Widespread Support for the Original House Version of H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act

"AASCU has a long and proud tradition of representing colleges and universities that provide affordable college access to millions of students, many of whom demonstrate significant financial need. We are pleased that this bill acknowledges the critical role that state appropriations play in the tuition levels of our nation’s public colleges. Financing our country’s higher education system is a partnership whereby investments and declines in investments from any partners affect the entire system. Federal legislation regarding college costs should recognize the interconnectedness of such a partnership."
Letter from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities »

"AAUW believes H.R. 4137 maintains important programs for college students and provides some new opportunities to help all students, particularly women. AAUW also supports provisions in H.R. 4137 that address the private student loan scandals that have been brought to light, encourage colleges to rein in price increases and provide students and their parents with helpful college cost information, provide advance information on textbook pricing to help students and families better plan for expenses, and streamline the federal student aid application process."
Letter from the American Association of University Women »

"The legislation helps ensure students maximize their federal loans before taking out private loan debt by notifying them clearly and repeatedly about their eligibility for federal aid, banning co-branding of private loans, and ensuring that private loans are separated from federal loans in financial aid packaging. The bill mandates publishers disclose the price of textbooks when they sell them to faculty as well as additional information about the book's history of revisions. In addition publishers must sell books and supplemental materials unbundled, ending a practice that drives up the cost of textbooks for many students. Lastly, this bill includes language to encourage schools to share information about textbooks with students so that they have time to shop around."
United States Student Association, U.S. Public Interest Research Group

"In concert with the College Cost Reduction and Access Act passed last year, it upholds the federal commitment to ensuring that all those who aspire to attend college, regardless of their means or economic status, will be able to attend. In particular, we appreciate the protections contained in the bill that preserve the prerogative of colleges and universities to determine their method of assessing student success, and the preservation of an institution’s right to determine when and to whom it awards academic credit."
Letter from the American Council on Education »

"We are pleased with a number of changes you made in the Manager’s Amendment that will preserve the historic authority of colleges and universities to determine their accreditation and accountability policies; strengthen Title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement programs, without linking the changes to student eligibility for federal student aid programs in Title IV; implement improvements in the federal TRIO programs; add borrower protections in the federal student loan programs and with private student loans; and expand access and opportunity for students to pursue postsecondary education. We are pleased that this bill is advancing, and we look forward to working with you and your colleagues as the process moves along toward reauthorization of the Higher Education Act."
Letter from the University of California »

"Our organizations support H.R. 4137 and urge its passage. The legislation provides many key improvements to the programs authorized by the Higher Education Act (HEA) and creates a number of new programs that will greatly benefit our students and institutions. From our perspective, some of the bill's strongest features include:...Helping potential and current college students gain better awareness of the availability of federal student aid... ...Establishing new targeted assistance for Predominantly Black Institutions and other Minority-Serving Institutions..."
Letter from the American Association of Community Colleges & the Association of Community College Trustees »

"On behalf of the National Direct Student Loan Coalition, I would like to state our support for H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007... We greatly appreciate efforts to control subsidy costs to lenders and to pass on those savings to students in the form of Pell Grants. As Financial Aid Directors, we recognize the greater financial burden that a college education places on families and we thank you for your leadership on making higher education more affordable. It has never been more important that Congress take the lead in expanding financial assistance for needy students."
Letter from the National Direct Student Loan Coalition »

Strengthening and expanding financial aid for students

"The members of the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations wish to express our thanks for your inclusion in H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008, of a reauthorization of the Perkins Loan Program as well as several extremely important improvements to the program that will help ensure Perkins will continue its mission of helping make higher education possible for future generations of students.COHEAO strongly supports the bill’s amendments to the Perkins Loan program, including the reauthorization of the Program, the increase to $350 million in the authorization for the annual Federal Capital Contribution, the limitations on the ability of the Department of Education to arbitrarily reduce funds available in the program for student lending, the loan limit increases, increased disclosures to borrowers, and several important technical amendments that will make the program operate more efficiently."
Letter from the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations »

Expanding college access and support for low-income and minority students

"We commend you for developing this legislation. It has many valuable features that will promote access to postsecondary education, especially for lower income individuals, working adults, minorities and women -- the very types of students that we seek to serve."
Letter from Corinthian Colleges, Inc. »

"The HBCU community appreciates your leadership and successful work in raising the Secretary's lending authority on the HBCU Capital Financing Program. ...[N]umerous schools within the HBCU community can greatly benefit from additional resources made available through this program. As the nation embraces strategies to make credit more affordable and accessible, this is a unique and rare opportunity to correct some of the challenges associated with the HBCU Capital Financing Loan Program."
Letters from LeMoyne-Owen College, Wiley College, Fisk University, Dillard University »

Ensuring equal college opportunities for students with disabilities

"The Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (TED) represents 2,500 teachers and teacher educators. TED focuses on supporting children, youth, and families of individuals with exceptionalities by preparing special educators. Many provisions within this legislation address serious concerns among our members regarding the education of students with disabilities. We commend you and your Congressional colleagues for your ongoing efforts to ensure the quality of educational opportunities America’s students receive."
Letter from the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children »

"On behalf of the Education Task Force of  the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, we are pleased to support your amendment to HR 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, which will create a new program to support the preparation of general educators who are skilled in working with students with disabilities."
Letter from the CCD Task Force on Higher Education »

"On behalf of the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSE), we offer our full support for the College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R. 4137).   Many provisions will address serious issues in the education of students with disabilities (e.g., preparation of more highly-qualified special education teachers and special education teacher educators, effective preparation of general educators who teach students with disabilities, post-secondary learning opportunities for adults with disabilities)."
Letter from the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education »

"NCLD is pleased to see several significant provisions were added to HR 4137 that enhance access to higher education for students with disabilities and increase the quality of the education they will receive.  We applaud the data-driven provisions you have included in the bill that respond to the needs of students with disabilities to ensure they have every opportunity to make a successful transition into the adult phase of their lives."
Letter from the National Center for Learning Disabilities »

"The provisions in H.R. 4137 will create a new reality and a far brighter future for students with intellectual disabilities in the 21st century. When enacted, H.R. 4137 will allow students with intellectual disabilities who are attending programs designed for them in higher education to be eligible for the first time for Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, and the Federal Work-Study Program. ...H.R. 4137 will make it possible for many more students with intellectual disabilities who do not have the economic means to benefit from a post-secondary education experience through access to Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, and the Federal Work-Study Program."
Letter from the National Down Syndrome Congress & the National Down Syndrome Society »

"AUCD strongly supports the provisions within the bill that will expand opportunities for students with disabilities and improve the quality of postsecondary education for these students. Students with disabilities face multiple attitudinal, environmental, financial, and support barriers in accessing postsecondary education. Students with disabilities are less likely to participate in postsecondary education and when they do retention rates are low due to many factors, including lack of supports and accommodations."
Letter from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities »

Strengthening our workforce and our competitiveness

"At present these is a shortage of approximately 186,000 nurses and the Department of Labor estimates that the number may exceed 1 million nurses in the next 7 years. I would like to express my strong support for the College Opportunity and Affordability Act (HR 4137). This bill includes numerous provisions which will provide greater access to higher education and help students afford escalating college costs. Additionally, I would like to applaud the provisions encouraging students to pursue a nursing degree."
Letter from the Chairman of the International University of Nursing »

"On behalf of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, I am pleased to write in support of passage of HR 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act.   This legislation includes several provisions which will strengthen the preparation of teachers in institutions of higher education."
Letter from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education »

"This bill will build on and strengthen efforts to ensure more low and moderate-income Americans receive the education, skills, and supports they need to access postsecondary education and training and gain the credentials needed for family-supporting jobs. In particular, we commend the Education and Labor committee for addressing the following issues in H.R. 4137: ...Creating a Business Workforce Partnerships initiative that funds partnerships of colleges and employers to link credit-bearing college programs to business workforce needs and develop career and educational pathways; Providing Bridges from Jobs to Careers grants to colleges to increase lower-skilled workers' access to and completion of occupational credentials, through bridge programs and other innovations in remediation (or developmental) education; ...Ensuring workers who have been laid off receive the financial aid to which they are entitled..."
Letter from the Center for Law and Social Policy »

Boosting campus safety and disaster readiness plans

"The emergency response and notification provisions that you have included in H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, will serve as a living memorial to our children. We applaud the leadership that each of you and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy have demonstrated in bringing this about.The American people make a significant investment in higher education but it will be meaningless if we can’t provide a safe learning environment and protect our students.Thank you for your continued leadership to keep our nation’s college and university campuses as safe as possible. It is time there is truly accountability at colleges for what they do to protect our most precious resource – our students and future leaders."
Letter from the Families of Virginia Tech Victims »

"I want to thank you for including the Education Disaster loan provision in the base bill. As you are aware, AJCU led this effort to include this language following up on over two years of efforts to assist the Gulf Coast institutions. Not only will this loan assist the Gulf Coast institutions, but, also will be helpful to institutions in the future, in fact as early as today, given the damage from last night's tornado to Union College in Jackson, TN."
Letter from the Association of the Jesuit Colleges and Universities »

Addressing illegal downloading on college campuses

"On a separate issue, while the University is aware of concerns that have been raised about the peer-to-peer file sharing provisions in the bill, we believe the current language strikes a reasonable
balance between institutions’ ability to educate and inform students of their responsibilities regarding copyright law, and institutions’ inability to monitor content or control the ever-changing technologies associated with peer-to-peer file sharing. At the same time, the University supports the use of peer-to-peer networks in the legal distribution of intellectual property, including communications between researchers and faculty and students."
Letter from the University of California »

"I am writing this to express the support of the American Federation of Musicians for the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, H.R. 4137, and its provisions that would require colleges and universities to develop plans where possible to deter illegal downloading (and offer lawful alternatives), to inform their students about the law and the campus policies on unlawful downloading and copyright infringement, and to report their campus policies and procedures. All too often, students and other young Americans think that copyright only protects megacorporations. But copyright infringement and illegal downloading are serious problems that
have reduced the incomes and job opportunities for ordinary Americans. Most recording musicians in America are not rich celebrities, but mid-tier or struggling artists or ordinary
session musicians who are lucky to earn a modest middle-class income from their work. The income that is produced from lawful sales and licensing is essential to them, and they are severely harmed when illegal downloading displaces lawful, paid uses."
Letter from the American Federation of Musicians »

"The use of publicly funded university networks to steal copyrighted works is quite serious, and this bill addresses that use without placing undue burdens on our higher education system. More than 11 million U.S. workers are employed in these creative industries. Piracy costs creative industries, and the U.S. economy, billions each year. It is in the best interest of not only copyright owners but consumers and the entire economy to reduce piracy, and there are many ways it can be reduced on college campuses."
Letter from the Copyright Alliance »

To see a complete list of supporters click here.