Obama Administration Issues Student Aid Bill of Rights

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This week in Georgia President Obama announced the release of a Student Aid Bill of Rights along with a series of executive actions aimed at helping students who owe student loans held by the government.

The primary components of these actions will be the creation of a centralized complaint system for federal student loan borrowers as well as a single website where they can manage their loan payments.

By next July students and borrowers will be able to file complaints about federal student loan lenders, servicers, collection agencies and colleges and universities.  Through this effort students would have the ability to track what is happening with the status of a complaint and the U.S. Department of Education would have aggregate data to use from the complaint system to make decisions regarding performance of its loan services in addition to current metrics the Department collects. Finally the Department will study how it should collect and resolve complaints it receives about colleges and universities.

In addition, the series of executive actions taken by the President include steps to improve and standardize the customer service experience of federal student loan borrowers. For example the Department will establish a single website where all federal loan borrowers can access their account and payment information.  The Department also plans to direct its contracted loan services to provide enhance disclosures when their loans are transferred between servicers and to more aggressively reach out when borrowers fall behind in their payments or need help changing repayment plans. Finally the Department will instruct loan servicers to apply prepayments  – money a borrower pays in excess of their monthly minimum – to the loans with the highest interest rate, unless the borrower requests otherwise.

Beyond the Department, the U.S. Treasury will look for ways to let borrowers provide multi-year authorization for the IRS to release the income information needed to apply for federal income-based repayment programs.

Finally, the Department will engage a task force to develop regulatory and legislative proposals to help struggling borrowers with both federal and private student loans.  One topic that will be considered is a change to bankruptcy law.

Midpoint Reached – Now Budget Time and Policy in the Opposite Chamber

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The Legislature passed another major deadline last night. All bills, unless necessary to implement the budget, must have moved to the opposite chamber. With this the Legislature also moved from policy mode to budget mode.

The Legislature has until April 27 in the regular session to pass a biennial operating, capital and transportation budget. The Senate took action to advance transportation in the last few weeks while on the floor, but the shape and size of the operating and capital budgets have yet to be determined.  It is expected that the House will release a proposed biennial operating and capital budget at the end of March, to be followed by the Senate.  Between now and then budget writers are talking and rumors are flying.

Until the budget releases steal the show, legislators will return to the committee structure to advance policy bills through policy committees, fiscal committees, and the floor. The next major deadline is April 1 – and this is no joke -when policy bills must have moved out of the opposite chamber’s committees and either to a fiscal committee or the floor to be considered “alive” this session.

Last week both the House and Senate advanced several higher education related bills to the opposite chamber for further consideration.  In the final days of floor session, both chambers moved additional higher education related legislation.

  • HB 1559/SB 5487 – UW/WSU medical school legislation.
  • HB 1704 – Enhances public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education
  • HB 1825 – Aligns state residency laws for veterans with federal law
  • SB 5328 -Requires public baccalaureate institutions to provide financial aid application due dates and information in written or electronic for to prospective and admitted students
  • SB 5534 – Establishes a certified public accounting scholarship
  • SB 5620 – Authorize waivers of building fees and services and activities fees for certain military service members
  • SB 5841 – Creates a tuition and fees exemption for children and surviving spouses of certain highway workers

Legislature Advances Bills to Next Chamber, Long Hours on the Floor

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The Washington Legislature must move all bills, unless necessary to implement the budget, from one chamber to the other by close of business on March 11.

After a week of floor action, the Senate and House have the weekend and the first half of next week to continue to advance legislation to the opposite chamber.  Both have worked long hours all week to move several bills forward ranging from legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage to a transportation budget package to recognizing March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day.

Several bills that directly impact higher education have passed this latest hurdle.

  • HB 1031: Expands participation in College in the High School beyond grades 11 and 12 to students in 10th grade.
  • HB 1052:  Requires institutions of higher education to make an early registration process available to spouses and domestic partners of active members of the military.
  • HB 1138: Creates a task force on mental health and suicide prevention in higher education.
  • HB 1236: Allows certain school personnel to witness a student’s college bound scholarship pledge if the student’s parent or guardian is unavailable.
  • HB 1238: Requires the Washington Student Achievement Council to report to the Legislature by Decemer 15, 2016, regarding the affordability of the higher education system.
  • HB 1439: Establishes an online alternative credit model at Central Washington University.
  • HB 1532: Concerns budget submissions for capital design and construction at institutions of higher education.
  • HB 1570: Creates flexibility for the educator retooling conditional scholarship program.
  • HB 1644: Concerning veteran survivor tuition waiver eligibility.
  • HB 1696:  Removes tuition-setting authority from higher education institutions.
  • HB 1706: Authorizes waivers of building fees and services and activities fees for certain military service members.
  • HB 1863: Modifies collective bargaining law related to providing additional compensation for academic employees at community and technical colleges.
  • HB 1961:  A “clean up” bill for the community and technical colleges.
  • SB 5133: Concerning a study of higher education cost drivers.
  • SB 5295: Concerning the display of campus information on the statewide public four-year dashboard.
  • SB 5318: Establishes a wildlife college student loan program.
  • SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.
  • SB 5518: Creates procedures to address campus sexual violence.
  • SB 5638: Students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least three quarter credits, or the equivalent semester hours, in a qualifying higher education program are eligible for the State Need Grant.
  • SB 5719: Creates a task force on campus sexual violence prevention.
  • SB 5851:  Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.

Legislature Spends Day on the Floor

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Today was the first day the Washington Senate and House gathered on their respective floors to begin deliberation on legislation. Both chambers have until the end of day on March 11 to move bills to the opposite chamber.

With regard to higher education a few bills were advanced today. Among those moving over to the other chamber included:

HB 1961 : A “clean up” bill for the community and technical colleges

HB 1031: Expands participation in College in the High School beyond grades 11 and 12 to students in 10th grade.

HB 1052:  Requires institutions of higher education to make an early registration process available to spouses and domestic partners of active members of the military.

Another Deadline Passes

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Today the Legislature met and passed another major deadline on the way to adjournment. All bills that were referred to a fiscal committee must have advanced from committee to the floor to be considered still in play.

There are a handful of bills that are deemed necessary to implement the budget that will be in play until the end, but for the majority of policy bills today was do or die.

Both the Senate and House fiscal committees held brief public hearings to advance a handful of bills to the next step in the process before the deadline this evening. The majority of time by both committees was spent taking action on the long list of bills that have been in front of the committees all week.

The Senate Ways & Means committee did not take action on any higher education bills related to the public, four-year institutions today. The House Appropriations advanced only a few, including legislation to remove tuition-setting authority from higher education institutions (HB 1696), align state residency laws for veterans with federal law (HB 1825), and creating a pilot project on performance-based scholarships in the State Need Grant program (HB 2041).

Next week the Senate and House will spend time on their respective floors to advance legislation from one chamber to the other chamber for further consideration.  Bills must have moved from their respective floors to the other chamber by the end of day on March 11.

Money Committees Take Action on Legislation

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Today the Senate and House appropriation committees held marathon sessions. Both committees continued public hearings on legislation and began the hard work of deciding what bills to advance to the floor.

The House began early this morning with a schedule to hear public testimony on thirty separate bills, followed by a long list of bills to be considered for executive action.

Among the bills the committee heard public testimony were: HB 1696 which returns tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students to the operating budget, HB 1812 which would require WSAC to design and implement a program that provides information to high-achieving, low-income high school studetns to increase applications from these students to public and independent, non-profit baccalaureate institutions in Washington, and HB 2041 which establishes a performance based pilot project within the State Need Grant program.

The House finished a long day by moving a handful of higher education related bills to the floor.  Among those bills advanced to the next stage was legislation to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education (HB 1704),  and legislation that amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014 (HB 1825).

While the Senate Ways & Means Committee heard only a few bills this afternoon, the majority of their time was spent advancing bills to the floor.

The Senate moved several higher education related bills:

  • SB 5954: Creates the College Affordability Program (CAP). Removes tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students for the public baccalaureate institutions. Beginning in the 2015-16 academic year, tuition fees for resident undergraduates must be no more than the following: for community and technical colleges, 6 percent of the state’s average wage; for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College, 10 percent of the state’s average wage; and for the research universities, 14 percent of the state’s average wage. Beginning with the 2015-17 operating budget, the Legislature must appropriate to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and each four-year institution of higher education an amount that is at least equal to the total state funds appropriated in the 2013-15 biennium plus the reduction in revenues from resident undergraduate tuition operating fees received for the 2015-17 fiscal biennium under this act, adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the dollar value of the building fee must not be reduced below the level in the 2014-15 academic year, adjusted for inflation.
  • SB 5851: Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.
  • SB 5561: A child of a veteran or National Guard member is eligible for a full tuition waiver at a Washington State institution of higher education if one of the child’s parents became totally disabled as a result of active service, was a prisoner of war, or lost their life as a result of serving in active duty, and the child: is a Washington domiciliary between the age of 17 and 26; or meets one of eight federal requirements for receiving education assistance.
  • SB 5547: SNG recipients must maintain a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for renewal, unless the student attends The Evergreen State College (TESC). Students enrolled at TESC must meet the requirements of the college’s satisfactory academic progress policy to remain
    eligible for the SNG program.
  • SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.

Congress Passes Bipartisan Higher Education Savings Legislation

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Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 529, legislation introduced by Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) that would make 529 plans more flexible by making computers an eligible education expense; allowing the redeposit of college refunds without negative tax implications in certain circumstances and updating outdated accounting rules.

Over the Hump

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Today marks the halfway point to the next major deadline this session. By end of day on Friday, bills that have been sent to an appropriation committee must advance from committee to their respective floor for further consideration.

This afternoon the House Appropriations heard testimony on legislation to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education (HB 1704) and the UW/WSU medical school legislation (HB 1559). Tomorrow the House Appropriations committee will hear a few more higher education bills including:

  • HB 1696: Returns tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students to the operating budget
  • HB 1812: Requires WSAC to design and implement a program that provides information to high-achieving, low-income high school studetns to increase applications from these students to public and independent, non-profit baccalaureate institutions in Washington
  • HB 2041: Establishes a performance based pilot project within the State Need Grant program.

In the afternoon the Senate Ways & Means Committee is expected to take executive action on several higher education bills, including:

  • SB 5954: Creates the College Affordability Program (CAP). Removes tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students for the public baccalaureate institutions. Beginning in the 2015-16 academic year, tuition fees for resident undergraduates must be no more than the following: for community and technical colleges, 6 percent of the state’s average wage; for the regional universities and The Evergreen State College, 10 percent of the state’s average wage; and for the research universities, 14 percent of the state’s average wage. Beginning with the 2015-17 operating budget, the Legislature must appropriate to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and each four-year institution of higher education an amount that is at least equal to the total state funds appropriated in the 2013-15 biennium plus the reduction in revenues from resident undergraduate tuition operating fees received for the 2015-17 fiscal biennium under this act, adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the dollar value of the building fee must not be reduced below the level in the 2014-15 academic year, adjusted for inflation.
  • SB 5851: Advances recommendations to improve and enhance certain components of the program, including data collection, outreach and program outcomes.
  • SB 5561: A child of a veteran or National Guard member is eligible for a full tuition waiver at a Washington State institution of higher education if one of the child’s parents became totally disabled as a result of active service, was a prisoner of war, or lost their life as a result of serving in active duty, and the child: is a Washington domiciliary between the age of 17 and 26; or meets one of eight federal requirements for receiving education assistance.
  • SB 5547: SNG recipients must maintain a 2.5 GPA to be eligible for renewal, unless the student attends The Evergreen State College (TESC). Students enrolled at TESC must meet the requirements of the college’s satisfactory academic progress policy to remain
    eligible for the SNG program.
  • SB 5355: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.

More Higher Education Bills Heard by Appropriations Committee

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This afternoon the House Appropriations heard testimony on two higher education related bills.

  • HB 1546: Makes change to the dual credit opportunities provided by Washington’s public institutions of higher education.
  • HB 1825: Amends the definition of resident student to comply with federal requirements established by the veterans access, choice, and accountability act of 2014.

While no higher education bills are before the Senate Ways & Means committee tomorrow. The House Appropriations committee will hear public testimony on legislation to enhance public safety and reduce recidivism through postsecondary education (HB 1704) and the UW/WSU medical school legislation (HB 1559).