ENZI GIVES CONGRESS INCOMPLETE GRADE ON HIGHER EDUCATION REFORMS

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member ofthe Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today said theSenate has taken the first step toward making college more affordable with passage of theConference Report to the Higher Education Reconciliation bill, H.R. 2669, but said thatCongress must act now on the Higher Education Amendments of 2007, S. 1642, toprovide the kind of reforms students and working families need now. “We are seeing only a fraction of the higher education picture by considering thisconference report separately from the larger higher education reauthorization package,”Enzi said. “This report focuses only on a narrow slice of the Higher Education Act, onepiece that is dependent on other foundational programs that are not part of reconciliation. “The reconciliation package takes important steps to increase assistance forstudents seeking a college degree, but it is only a band-aid solution without the important,bipartisan reforms included in the reauthorization bill. We are cutting the bottom linewithout dealing with the quality and substance of these important programs.” The Higher Education Amendments of 2007, S. 1642, which passed the Senate bya 95-0 vote, contains real reforms to root out bad actors in student lending, protectstudents borrowing money and takes steps to ensure that students and parents receivesound, honest advice about their student loans. In addition its provisions will require thatstudents and parents have access to information they need to understand and manage theirdebts. “Now is the time to get both bills done and have comprehensive higher educationreform before we tackle No Child Left Behind, which is all about getting students readyto go to college,” Enzi said. “I don’t believe that we should continue any furtherdiscussions or negotiations on No Child Left Behind with our colleagues until the HigherEducation Act amendments are reauthorized.” The Higher Education Act expired in September, 2004, and has since beenextended eight times, but is still due for reauthorization. “America’s students and families deserve action to reauthorize and enhance theHigher Education Act,” Enzi said. “It’s time for Congress to stop kicking the can downthe road, and deliver the improvements and reforms that America’s students need. This isthe second time in as many Congresses we have been on the brink of systemic reform offederal higher education programs. I do not want to squander another. Our challenge isnot only to improve access to higher education, but also to ensure that the quality of oursystem of higher education is not compromised.” Enzi said that key provisions of S. 1642 include:• Providing consumer friendly, easy to access and understand, detailed informationabout college tuition and fees;• Calling for the Department of Education and IRS to coordinate and automate theFAFSA process;• Requiring the Department of Education to establish protocols for limiting andrestoring access to the National Student Loan Data System, a database thatcontains personal financial information about student borrowers and their familiesand is used by students, schools, lenders, and guarantee agencies;• Requiring colleges to establish Codes of Conduct to prohibit their financial aidemployees from receiving anything of value in exchange for advantages soughtby lenders; and,• Expanding prohibitions on guaranty agencies and lenders that restrict the offeringof any premiums, payments, prizes, and tuition payments. ###