The AFT is closely following the work of a House committee that is working to finalize H.R. 609, the College Access and Opportunity Act. On July 13 and 14, the bill went into the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness for markup; it will be taken up by the full Committee on Education and Workforce during the week of July 18. Two years in the making, H.R. 609 is the House version of legislation to renew the Higher Education Act.

House members on the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), exchanged a flurry of amendments to the bill. The day before markup began, the AFT weighed in on some of the more problematic features of the bill and continued to push for improvements as markup proceeded. The AFT's involvement in this way will continue through this week and it is crucial that members from all sectors of the union contact their Congressional representatives, says AFT secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour. "We must not let the federal government renege on its commitment to help low- and middle income families pay for college."

In the July 12 letter to McKeon, AFT legislative director Kristor Cowan warns that much of what has been proposed during the bill's drafting reflects the priorities of for-profit institutions at the expense of making higher education more affordable and accessible to low- and middle-income students. The AFT's recommendations focus on reversing this direction by expanding and strengthening student aid programs and by ensuring proper federal oversight of the for-profit higher education industry to protect students from fraud and abuse. During the subcommittee meeting on July 14, "we saw votes that indicated a positive move on our issues specifically on the for-profit sector," said AFT legislative staffer Gabriella Gomez. While progress is being made on AFT issues, she added, lawmakers need to hear from AFT members.

The AFT is asking members to use the union's online legislative action center to send a letter to their representatives. A copy of those letters will be shared with education committee chair Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) and ranking minority member Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). Go to our Contact Congress site and click on "Urge Congress To Strengthen and Protect the Integrity of Federal Student Aid." [Barbara McKenna]

July 15, 2005