College & Research Libraries News vol. 79, no. 1 (January 2018)


C&RL News January 2018 46

Kevin Maher is deputy director of the ALA Office of 
Government Relations, email: kmaher@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eKevin Maher

Congress focuses on higher 
education
Last month, House Education and Work-
force Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-
North Carolina) released her long-awaited 
Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthoriza-
tion legislation. This sweeping reform of 
higher education raises some concerns for 
ACRL members.

To put the significance of the legisla-
tion into context, it is helpful to clarify the 
purpose of an authorization bill, which is 
basically to create a program to address a 
need. Authorization legislation generally 
includes an ending date for the program 
and a funding level. If Congress determines 
that the program is still meeting a need, a 
reauthorization will extend the life of the 
program while also allowing Congress to 
make necessary changes to the program. 
A reauthorization is not necessary for a 
program to continue, and many programs 
still receive annual appropriations despite 
having no working authorization. The HEA, 
which expired in 2013, is a good example. 
Nevertheless, a reauthorization is valuable 
in providing a signal to Congress that the 
program is still important and worthy of 
funding.

The Promoting Real Opportunity, Suc-
cess, and Prosperity through Education Re-
form (PROSPER) Act released by Foxx stands 
out from previous bills. The original HEA 
was signed into law by President Lyndon 
Johnson in 1965 and has been reauthorized 
eight times since, most recently in 2008. 
In the previous Congress, the education 

policy mainly centered on the Every Student 
Succeeds Act, which governs our nation’s 
K–12 policy. In the current Congress, at-
tention now turns to higher education. The 
PROSPER Act would address obligations on 
higher education institutions and change 
how Americans attend and pay for college. 

The PROSPER Act would largely keep 
the overall structure of the HEA, while con-
solidating and eliminating certain programs 
and authorities. ALA is particularly alarmed 
by the proposed elimination of the Public 
Service Loan Forgiveness program, which 
supports graduates working in the public 
sector—including libraries—and often in 
lower paying jobs. ALA is working to protect 
this program. ALA is also concerned with 
the proposed elimination of funding for 
teacher preparation programs under Title 
II of the HEA.

Consolidation of loan programs and loan 
repayment plans is a major change pro-
posed by the PROSPER Act. The Act would 
streamline grant programs into four catego-
ries (undergraduate, graduate, parent, and 
consolidation). Critics of the PROSPER Act 
claim these changes will increase the cost 
of college education on lower and middle 
class families.

Introduction of the PROSPER Act is 
only the first step in what is likely to be a 
months-long march towards the final HEA. 
While Foxx expects the bill to move quickly, 
House Democrats expressed concerns over 
key provisions and disappointment about not 
being included in the development of the 
bill. The Senate is not expected to consider 
HEA bills anytime soon. ALA’s Washington 
Office will continue to monitor the legislation 
and advocate to protect programs benefitting 
libraries and students. 

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