Much of the legislation passing through Congress in the weeks after Sept. 11 reflects the new order of the country's response to the terrorist attacks. Some legislation, such as a bill that would lift quality restrictions on distance-education providers, appears likely to go on hold for this session. Other bills, such as the "USA Patriot Act," the counterterrorism bill, have moved so rapidly through both houses of Congress to the president's desk, that the AFT's carefully considered concerns on student privacy rights went unheeded.

Distance education: An issue on which the AFT has lobbied consistently over the past few years is how much time students should be required to spend in a classroom, rather than learning via technology. Past laws have required students to enroll in 12 hours of classroom time per week to be eligible for student aid, or for institutions receiving student-aid dollars to provide no more than 50 percent of their courses via distance technology. The AFT has argued for these rules because the verdict is still out on the quality of distance education. For-profit education companies in particular have sought to have the rules eliminated.

This fall, the for-profits prevailed when the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1992, "The Internet Equity and Education Act of 2001," by a vote of 354 to 70. When the Senate takes up its version of the bill, sometime in 2002, members say the traditional education providers will get a stronger hearing.

Student records: The AFT has been working with the House Education and the Workforce and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees to address an aspect of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that university administrations are applying to hinder graduate employee organizing campaigns. The act was created to protect students from having their grades and other information released to entities outside the institutions. Universities are using that student protection to bar graduate employee organizations from receiving directory information (name, address, employment status) about the graduate students the universities employ. The AFT legislation department is continuing to seek a minor correction to the language of FERPA to exclude employee information from the definition of "educational records," thereby freeing up essential information for union access. Progress on making this change is one of the many efforts slowed by the events of Sept. 11.

International students: The White House and Congress have grown increasingly concerned about issues relating to monitoring foreign students--both the process they follow to secure student visas and what they do when they study here. In August, the AFT had urged that any requirements on foreign students be imposed carefully so as not to discourage the students from studying here. The issue has been complicated by the tragic events of Sept. 11. While continuing to work with Congress and the president to support the toughest language on marshaling resources to fight terrorists, the AFT is also working to safeguard educational opportunities for legitimate international students. They are among our members in graduate employee locals, they enrich the diverse campus learning environment on our campuses, and they carry home positive lessons about the United States and democracy.

Economic stimulus: At the end of October, the AFT sent a letter to the House of Representatives strongly objecting to the Republican-sponsored Economic Security and Recovery Act, as "an outrageous payoff to big corporations." In an Oct. 24 letter sent to House members as they were considering the bill, AFT legislative director Charlotte Fraas pointed out that the act fails to provide adequate relief to workers affected by the recession, with many provisions rewarding certain taxpayers at the expense of all others. Also, the retroactive elimination of the corporate alternative minimum tax is an excessive tax benefit for companies that are in the best financial shape to weather the current economic situation; another provision gives $21 billion in tax relief to U.S. companies that profit from manufacturing and operating overseas. "This provision is an insult to all working Americans," Fraas said.

Federal aid to CUNY: On Nov. 1, Professional Staff Congress president Barbara Bowen and first vice president Steven London met with a senior staff member from New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's office to request support from the federal government in assisting the City University of New York's recovery after the terrorist attacks. The university is seeking aid to cover the loss of a building, classrooms and revenue. It also is seeking support to provide additional work force development services for the many workers displaced by the attacks. The PSC also pressed for federal support to rebuild New York City's economy and tax base by investing in the higher education of its citizens.