1. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Washington Update: Reauthorization, Ratings and Regulations Christina West Assistant Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations Vanderbilt University

2. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Setting the Context Election Year – Primaries start in earnest in May – November 4 The House has 59 legislative days left before Nov. 4 Could the Senate flip? Big Picture legislative priorities – FY 15 appropriations bills – Tax Reform – Medicare Physician Repayment – Long-term unemployment benefits

3. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Musical Chairs - House House – Republicans Term Limits for Kline Next up: Tom Petri (WI) – Democrats George Miller retiring Rob Andrews resigned Bobby Scott (VA)

4. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Musical Chairs - Senate Democrats – Tom Harkin is retiring – Speculations: Mikulski (MD), Murray (WA), Sanders (VT) Republicans – Depends on the majority – – Alexander (TN) or Enzi (WY) ?

5. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity The Education Queue Every major piece of education/workforce legislation is awaiting authorization K-12 (ESEA)Ed Research (ESRA) Higher Ed (HEA)Special Ed (IDEA) Workforce (WIA)Child Care (CCDBG)

6. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Beyond Education... HELP – – Raising the minimum wage – Mental health – Nominations Education & the Workforce – – NLRB – Implementation of Obamacare

7. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Other House Higher Ed Bills HR 2172 Educator Preparation Reform Act Mike Honda (D-CA) HR 340 Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers ActRaul Grijalva (D-AZ) HR 357 Tuition Fairness Act of 2013 Jeff Miller (R-FL) Mike Michaud (D-ME) HR 1330 Student Loan Fairness ActKaren Bass (D-CA) HR 1595 Student Loan Relief ActJoe Courtney (D-CT) HR 1716 Earnings Contingent Education Loans ActTom Petri (R-WI) HR 1911 Smarter Solutions for Students Act John Kline (R-MN) HR 1928 Proprietary Institution of Higher Education Accountability ActRosa DeLauro (D-CT) HR 1937 Student Right to Know Before You Go ActDuncan Hunter (R-CA) HR 1946 Responsible Student Loan Solutions Act John Tierney (D-MA) HR 1949 Improving Postsecondary Data for Students ActLuke Messer (R-IN) HR 2020 Truth in Tuition ActMatt Cartwright (D-PA) HR 2637 Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief ActVirginia Foxx (R-NC) HR 3136 Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project ActMatt Salmon (R-AZ) HR 3371 State Loan Access and Student Protection ActRuben Hinojosa (D-TX) HR 3393 Student and Family Tax Simplification ActDiane Black (R-TN) HR 3412 Flexibility to Innovate for College Affordability ActTrey Gowdy (R-SC) HR 3437 College Affordability ActAllyson Schwarz (D-PA) HR 3496 Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers ActSteve Cohen (D-TN) HR 3694 Net Price Calculator Improvement ActElijah Cummings (D-MD)

8. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Other Senate Higher Ed Bills S 113 Know Before You Owe Student Loan Act Dick Durbin (D-IL) S 114 Fairness for Struggling Students Act Dick Durbin (D-IL) S 262Veterans Education Equity ActDick Durbin (D-IL) S 406 Students First Act Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) S 528 Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act Kay Hagan (D-NC) S 546Smarter Borrowing ActTom Harkin (D-IA) S 744 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act Chuck Schumer (D-NY) S 835 AOTC Permanence and Consolidation Act Chuck Schumer (D-NY) S 897 Bank on Student Loans Fairness Act Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) S 909 Responsible Student Loan Solutions Act Jack Reed (D-RI) Richard Durbin (D-IL) S 915 Student Right to Know Before You Go Act Ron Wyden (D-OR) S 953Student Loan Affordability Act Jack Reed (D-RI) Patty Murray (D-WA) Harry Reid (D-NV) Tom Harkin (D-IA) S 1062 Educator Preparation Reform Act Jack Reed (D-RI) S 1156 Understanding the True Cost of College Act Al Franken (D-MN) S 1659 Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers Act Dick Durbin (D-IL) S 1704 Affordable College Textbook Act Dick Durbin (D-IL) S 1803 Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights Dick Durbin (D-IL) S 1873Protect Student Borrowers ActJack Reed (D-RI) S 1874 Partnerships for Affordability Act Jack Reed (D-RI) S1969 College Affordability and Innovation Act of 2014 Chris Murphy (D-CT) Brian Schatz (D-HI) Patty Murray (D-WA)

9. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity HEA – New Actors, Influencers

10. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity

11. Senate HEA Hearings Federal Student Aid Teacher Preparation Students with Disabilities TRIO/GEAR-UP Accreditation Simplifying federal student aid Innovations The Triad – Accreditation, Universities and States The Student Lens

12. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity House HEA Hearings Non-traditional Students Student Loan Rehabilitation Process Teacher Preparation Best Practices for Low-Income, First Generation Students Pell Grants Impact of ACA on schools and universities Federal Student Aid Innovative Partnerships Innovation Accreditation Role of higher education in job growth/economic development Student Loan Programs

13. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity HEA – Emerging Themes “Start from scratch” One grant, one loan (one tax credit) Simplify and streamline reporting requirements Buzz Words: transparency, accountability, access, completion, affordability

14. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity At the Other End of Pennsylvania Avenue Putting colleges “on notice” Pay As You Earn – Expanded Income Based Repayment White House Summit on Access FLOTUS activities College Ratings

15. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Federal Ratings or Rankings? Harkin: What if one university or college has a strong program amid a host of weak offerings, and gets a low rating as a result? … These, he said, were “things that I had not thought about before.“ Alexander: Forcing all 6,000 colleges to use the same rating system would turn Washington into “a sort of national school board for our colleges and universities.“ ACE: “Beyond the many questions and technical challenges that surround the development and implementation of a proposed rating system, rating colleges and universities is a significant expansion of the federal role in higher education and breaks new ground....” NAICU: “Private, independent college leaders do not believe it is possible to create a single metric that can successfully compare the broad array of American higher education institutions without creating serious unintended consequences.” APLU: The group said the department should pursue an alternative to a federal ratings system, in which colleges are judged based on a set of measures (including graduation, loan repayment, and employment rates) that are adjusted by a “student readiness index” that controls for different types of student populations.

16. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Consumer Disclosure Efforts White House – Financial Aid Shopping Sheet – College Scorecard Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – Tools to help students learn how to pay for college, repay debt, submit a complaint, banking on campus, college credit cards, managing money – Know Before You Owe VA - Principles of Excellence DOD MOU

17. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Never-ending Neg Reg Program Integrity Issues – State Authorization of distance education; authorization of foreign institutions; campus debit cards; clock hour to credit hour; retaking coursework; PLUS Loans Violence Against Women Act/Campus SAVE – Last session last week Gainful Employment – Proposed regs issued March 14 – over 800 pages long Title II – teacher preparation – Concluded without consensus nearly 2 years ago

18. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Regulatory Reform – Dept. of Education Senate-appointed Task Force on Government Regulation of Higher Education 1)Provide specific recommendations to consolidate, streamline and eliminate burdensome, costly and/or confusing regulations, legislation and reporting requirements; 2)Review and quantify the extent of all federal reporting and regulatory requirements with which institutions must comply, including estimates of the time and costs associated with specific regulations and requirements; and 3)Provide recommendations for reform to ensure future regulations are promulgated in a manner that appropriately considers existing law and accurately examines the costs and benefits to taxpayers, institutions and students.

19. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity FY 15 Budget Proposal Mixture of Recycled…. – $5,830 Pell Grant – Campus Based Aid – Perkins – Pay As You Earn – First in the World (innovation) – Race to the Top for higher ed (public institutions) And New…. – Cap on Public Service Loan Forgiveness – Pell Bonus – Funding for ratings

20. Driving Uncertainty into Opportunity Questions? Christina West Assistant Vice Chancellor for Federal Relations Vanderbilt University christina.d.west@vanderbilt.edu 202-216-4370