Overview of STEM Education Bills Recently Introduced

Posted on August 8, 2013

Several bills have been introduced this summer surrounding the issue of STEM Education from elementary school through college, with the aim of increasing access for students to these subjects and preparing them for the 21st century workforce. Below is a quick overview and analysis of a few of these bills that we have been keeping our eye on.

HR 2159 – 21st Century STEM Competitive Jobs Act
Sponsor: Representative Bill Foster (D-IL)
Introduced: 5/23/13
Current Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Summary: This legislation aims to solve the problem that many employers face, which is that students are not adequately prepared for what the field needs. The goal is to encourage schools and employers to partner together to develop curriculum and program metrics, provide dual high school and college credit, and include an internship or apprenticeship as part of the program. The bill would provide competitive grants to school districts who collaborate with employers.

Foster Press Release

HR 2592 – STEM Innovation Networks Act of 2013
Sponsor: Representative Mike Honda (D-CA)
Introduced: 6/28/13
Current Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Summary: Similar to Representative Foster’s bill, this piece of legislation also encourages public-private partnerships and creates a grant program to promote this. In addition, the bill also supports the development of teachers who prepare students for post-secondary schooling and employment in STEM fields.

**Washington Congressmen Rick Larsen and Jim McDermott are Cosponsors of this bill.

Honda Press Release

S 1407 – Computer Science Education and Jobs Act of 2013
Sponsor: Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)
Introduced: 7/31/13
Current Status: Referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Summary: This is a bipartisan bill that Senator Casey introduced with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to address the issue of a lack of computer science education in K-12 schools. The Senators’ claim that computer science is the primary driver for job growth in the STEM fields, and increasing access and exposing children to computer science education at the elementary and secondary school levels will pique their interest and position themselves for high-skilled, good-paying jobs in the future. The legislation aims to clarify federal policies to make sure that computer science programs in states are eligible for federal funding.

Casey Press Release

Student Loan Bill Approved by Congress

Posted on August 1, 2013

Last night, the House approved the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act (HR 1911). This bill:

Sets the annual interest rate on Direct Stafford loans and Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans issued to undergraduate students at the rate on high-yield 10-year Treasury notes plus 2.05%, but caps that rate at 8.25%;
Sets the annual interest rate on Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans issued to graduate or professional students at the rate on high-yield 10-year Treasury notes plus 3.6%, but caps that rate at 9.5%, and;
Sets the annual interest rate on Direct PLUS loans at the rate on high-yield 10-year Treasury notes plus 4.6%, but caps that rate at 10.5%.

The President is expected to sign the bill.

HR 1911 is in response to the recent increase in student loan rates from 3.4 percent up to 6.8 percent. Congress calls the bill a compromise but not a perfect solution to rising interest rates. The UW hopes that Congress will revisit this issue when they take up the Higher Education Act later this year.

House Committee Moves on Student Loan Fix

Posted on May 16, 2013May 16, 2013

Today, the House Education and the Workforce Committee marked up and two measures on to improve college costs and data transparency. The committee modestly amended and approved HR 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act by a vote of 24-13, which ran largely along party lines. The amended HR 1911 would peg interest rates on all federal student loans, except Perkins loans, to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus 2.5 percentage points for undergraduate loans with a cap of 8.5 percent and plus 4.5 percentage points for graduate loans with a cap of 10.5 percent. Interest rates would be calculated and reset yearly.

The committee also marked up and approved HR 1949, the Improving Postsecondary Education Data Act for Students (IPEDS Act). The legislation would create a committee under the Department of Education to conduct a study on the factors students and families want, need, and already consider when choosing a higher education institution. This committee has a year to issue recommendations to assist congressional efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

The Office of Federal Relations is closely tracking this legislation and continues to work on this issue.

For more information on HR 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act.

For more information on HR 1949, the IPEDS Act.

Charting the student loan interest rate proposals

Posted on May 13, 2013

As the Office of Federal Relations continues to track the proposals and progress made on legislation affecting the student loan interest rate, below is a chart highlighting the proposals to date and major proposals.

Options continue to multiply as the July 1 deadline raising the 3.4 percent interest rate to 6.4 percent is quickly approaching. Soon, colleges will begin originating loans for the fall semester not long afterward. Congressional insiders predict that if the rate is allowed to double, Congressional Republicans will likely lose their appetite for addressing the issue because students will not feel the impact immediately.

The many options, and the apparent disagreement among Senate Democrats and the White House, mean that the fate of any successful bill may rest on the House’s ability to pass a measure that will then be amended in the Senate. Further, it puts the Obama administration in the unusual position of being allied most closely with Congressional Republicans, making the some of the most unusual bedfellows.

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