Legislative News

Keep up the pressure on Congress to make education funding—at all levels—a top priority. You can E-mail your Representative and Senators through NEA's Legislative Action Center. Visit the Legislative Action Center for up-to-date news.

NEA Legislative Program for Higher Education

Letter to Chairman George Miller
NEA commends the chairman of the house committee on education and labor for the changes to federal student financial assistance that are included in the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 (H.R. 2669). Read more actions taken by NEA on HEA.

Joint Priorities for Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act ( 722k, 8 pp)
NEA and AFT issue another joint statement of priorities for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The recommendations focus on the core goal of HEA— to increase access and make college affordable to students regardless of their financial circumstances.

Letter to Senate on Kyl Amendment
NEA urges the Senate to protect the qualified tuition deduction for college faculty and staff. The immediate impact would result in an increase in college costs to these employees.

NEA Letter to Senate HELP Committee
NEA urges the Senate to stand firm in support of proposed increases in student aid. Read this letter and our comments on how the Senate bill S. 250 could be improved.

Joint Priorities on Reauthorization of HEA
Ensuring access to college, providing more grant aid, and requiring rigorous quality standards for distance education are among the priorities recommended jointly by AFT and NEA. This joint statement was issued in March 2005.

NEA Supports Increasing Pell Grant Award
Increasing the maximum Pell Grant award and shifting the balance of federal aid from loans to grants will help more low-income students attend and finish college.

NEA Letter Supports Increased Federal Funding ( , 34k)
NEA urges the support of the Kennedy Pell Grant amendment, Reed student aid amendment and the Mikulski Hope Scholarship amendment for the fiscal year 2005 federal budget.

Legislative Update (, 304k)
Get a quick update on the legislative battleground for higher education, as presented by our higher ed lobbyist at the 2004 Higher Education Conference.

NEA Statement of Principles on Federal Funding for Higher Education
NEA proposes that the Bush administration and Congress take immediate actions to lessen the impact of the state funding crisis on students and their families.

Lobbying the Higher Education Act
NEA is in the midst of lobbying to improve the Higher Education Act of 1965 as it is up for reauthorization. Follow the actions taken by NEA's Government Relations Department on behalf of our members.

The Opportunity to Excel
NEA believes that nothing matters more than the education of America's children, and that nothing should matter more to the Nation's leaders. The Opportunity to Excel is a guidebook for common sense solutions to give educators the resources they need to maximize student learning. NEA's plan for excellence includes a section on legislative recommendations for higher education.

Higher Ed Act Reauthorization Recommendations
In 1998, NEA and AFT joined forces to state their recommendations on distance learning for the Higher Education Reauthorization Act.

Legislative Program
This document address the NEA's legislative program goals for the 105th Congress, adopted in July 1998.

Reports

Challenges and Opportunities: State Legislative Views on Higher Education State (,1.7m) legislators now believe that access to higher education, in terms of meeting a growing demand and creating more access for disadvantaged students and for nontraditional students, is a top issue facing higher education in their state.

Challenges & Opportunities: State Legislative Views on Higher Education (,1.6m) builds upon the three previous studies listed below. This survey finds state legislative leaders continue to identify broad support for developing closer ties between K-12 and higher education. Here's a quick look at key highlights of the report.

Where We Go From Here: State Legislative Views on Higher Education in the New Millennium ( 314k), a NEA survey finds state legislative education committee leaders see higher education—especially community colleges—as key to a sound state economy.

This report, Going the Distance: State Legislative Leaders Talk About Higher Education and Technology
( 155k), offers key legislators' views on the role of technology in higher education in the coming years.

The Politics of Remedy: State Legislative Views on Higher Education ( 231k) reports on the collective voice of state legislators as they face an uncertain economy, growing college enrollment, escalating cost, and limited state revenues.