The Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), may utilize a piecemeal approach to update the Higher Education Act (HEA), which is the legislation that governs federal financial aid programs and a range of other policies. The last time that this legislation was reauthorized was in 2008.
Last week, the Committee marked up and passed the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act. This legislation targets Section 117 of the HEA, which requires colleges and universities to disclose all foreign gifts and contracts totaling $250,000 or more twice a year. The DETERRENT Act would lower the threshold to $50,000 and in some instances any amount above $0. If an institution fails to report such gifts, it risks its access to federal financial aid.
According to an interview with Inside Higher Ed, Rep. Foxx mentioned that more higher education legislative reform legislation is on the horizon, though she declined to give more information on what the different bills would entail. However, based on the committee’s hearings this year, accreditation, expanding the Pell Grant to short-term programs, free speech on campus, the student aid system, and accountability, among others, could be up for debate.
Some individuals believe that updating the HEA via individual bills could be the only way to move forward. They point to the fact that is how the FAFSA Simplification Act, which overhauled the federal student aid system, was passed in 2020.