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

The College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R. 4137) is bipartisan legislation designed to: empower consumers through sunshine in college costs, financial aid, and accreditation; update programs to better meet the needs of changing student populations; and strengthen financial aid opportunities. The bill reflects key reforms championed by Republicans in recent years to ensure access, accountability, affordability, and quality in higher education.

1.    Addressing the college cost crisis.  For years, Republicans have fought on behalf of students and families to make college more affordable.  Now, this signature Republican initiative is the centerpiece of a comprehensive Higher Education Act reauthorization.  For students and families grappling with rising college costs, the bill establishes college affordability comparison tools to help put the cost increases into perspective.  Students will be able to search, sort, and compare key cost indicators for every school in the country.  In addition, lists will be created to identify the most expensive institutions, the least expensive institutions, and the institutions with the greatest cost increases, by percentage.  The schools with the greatest cost increases will be required to disclose additional information and establish a Quality Efficiency Task Force to identify what is driving their cost increases and what can be done to address them.

2.    Increasing sunshine and transparency.  The bill calls for greater disclosure of comparable, useful data to help students and families make educated higher education choices.  By empowering consumers with good information, Republicans believe the goals of access, accountability, affordability, and quality can be achieved without unnecessary red tape or federal intrusion.

3.    Protecting student privacy.  The bill includes an amendment offered by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) that protects student privacy by prohibiting the creation of a federal “unit record” database that would track personally identifiable information on each and every student enrolled in college.  Republicans believe students should not be forced to relinquish their privacy just because they wish to pursue postsecondary education.

4.    Strengthening Pell Grants.  H.R. 4137 contains a number of key reforms to the Pell Grant program including added flexibility through year-round Pell Grants for students who wish to complete their education more quickly.  Rep. David Davis (R-TN) included sensible limitations on the amount of time students can receive federal Pell Grant funds to encourage students to make progress and to more effectively spend taxpayer dollars.  The bill also contains a proposal offered by Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL) that prohibits Pell Grants from being provided to sex offenders that remain involuntarily confined.  Prior to the Keller amendment, a loophole allowed these individuals, deemed so dangerous that they cannot be released after completing their incarceration, to receive taxpayer-funded Pell Grants to pursue higher education.  Republicans believe federal financial aid should focus on low- and middle-income students, not dangerous sexual predators.

5.    Easing college credit mobility.  With an increasing number of students attending multiple institutions of higher education throughout their college career, Republicans recognize that students need to be able to plan ahead to transfer academic credits from one institution to another.  Unfortunately, credits are sometimes denied arbitrarily with institutions failing to clearly disclose their credit transfer policies.  The bill includes a Republican proposal to make transfer of credit policies public so students can plan ahead and avoid wasting time and money.  It also encourages states to develop and improve articulation agreements to make credit transfer easier among institutions within a state and across state lines.

6.    Simplifying the FAFSA.  To qualify for federal student aid, as well as many state and institutional aid programs, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Yet for many students and families, the form can be daunting.  With more than 100 questions and several supplemental worksheets that may be needed, the form can sometimes be an obstacle.  Republicans have proposed simplifying the financial aid process with a shorter EZ-FAFSA form and making financial aid information available to students earlier in the college planning process.

7.    Strengthening American competitiveness.  Led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Republicans have proposed reforms to ensure our higher education system can help meet our growing international competitive challenges.  Specifically, the bill refocuses existing federal resources to help increase the number of math, science, and foreign language teachers and professionals.

8.    Protecting students from financial aid conflicts of interest.  The bill requires additional disclosure for lenders and colleges to ensure students are protected and their interests come first.  It requires institutions to establish codes of conduct, and clarifies what actions would be considered conflicts of interest.  These reforms are based on the bipartisan Student Loan Sunshine Act passed by the House last year.

9.    Prohibiting federal curricula, protecting opportunities for homeschooled students.  Thanks to a pair of amendments offered by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), the bill expressly prohibits federal curricula in teacher training programs and for high school programs of study used to award Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG).  His amendment also ensures homeschooled students are eligible for this financial aid program and not discriminated against based on curricula.  Republicans are strongly committed to preserving state and local control in these areas.

10.    Supporting members of the military.  In a time of war, Republicans recognize that it is now more important than ever that our higher education system be flexible enough to meet the unique needs of student-soldiers.  The bill includes numerous proposals to improve higher education opportunities for members of the Armed Forces including changes championed by Rep. John Kline (R-MN) to allow greater participation in TRIO college access programs and improvements to the way financial aid is calculated for military personnel.

For more information on Republican efforts to strengthen education, visit the Education and Labor Committee Republicans’ website here.