Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Primary & Secondary Education

Research shows that parental engagement in schools is linked to better student behavior and attendance, higher academic achievement, and overall school improvement. For these reasons, I am a cosponsor of the Family Engagement in Education Act of 2013 (H.R. 2662) to combine federal resources with state and local decision-making to formulate parent engagement strategies.

More and more educators find themselves paying for school supplies throughout the academic year. It is important that federal, state, and local governments work to address the underlying problem. I support alleviating this financial burden, which is why I am a cosponsor of the Reimburse Educators Who pay for Academic Year Supplies Act of 2013 (H.R. 3318) to amend the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent an income tax deduction for classroom-related expenses for elementary and secondary teachers.

Higher Education

The rising cost of college has made post-secondary education prohibitive for many individuals and families. I strongly support easing the burden of student loans for students.

In August, Congress passed the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act (P.L. 113-28) with my strong support. The law created a system of market-based interest rates for all federal student loans, resulting in an immediate reduction in interest rates for unsubsidized Stafford loans and PLUS loans for graduate students and parents. The law includes interest rate caps to protect students when market interest rates are high.

I am the lead cosponsor of the Student Loan Employment Benefits Act of 2013 (H.R. 395) which would allow employees to set up a student loan payment assistance program in which the employee could use up to $5,000 per year in pre-tax earnings to repay loans.

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