Education

Primary & Secondary Education

It is important that stats and school districts have the flexibility to improve the quality and delivery of education.  That is why I supported the Every Student Succeeds Act , which was signed into law in December 2015. This law restores control over local and secondary education to states, local districts, and parents.  It will better allow New York State and local school district to identify and assist underperforming schools and provide transparency to parents and students.

Research shows that parental engagement in schools is linked to better student behavior and attendance, higher academic achievement, and overall school improvement.  For these reasons, I support efforts to further family engagement strategies.

Higher Education

The rising cost of college has made post-secondary education prohibitive for many individuals and families. Efforts must be made to ease the burden of student loans for students.

In August of 2013, Congress passed the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act (P.L. 113-28) with my strong support.  The law created a system of market-based interest rates for all federal student loans, resulting in an immediate reduction in interest rates for unsubsidized Stafford loans and PLUS loans for graduate students and parents.  The law includes interest rate caps to protect students when market interest rates are high.  

I voted for  H.R. 529, a House-passed bill to strengthen and expand tax-exempt 529 savings plans, widely used plans that incentivize families to save for college.  The bill allows students to use savings to buy a computer for school, eliminates unnecessary paperwork, and waives penalties on re-depositing withdrawals if a student is unable to complete a semester.