Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3136, Advancing Competdency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2013, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4984, Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support of H.R. 5134, legislation which would reauthorize two advisory committees within the U.S. Department of Education for 1 year.

The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, known as NACIQI, and the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance play vitally important advisory roles to the Secretary of Education and Congress and would not otherwise be extended through the General Education Provisions Act when the Higher Ed Act expires this year.

NACIQI, for example, advises the Secretary of Education on matters related to postsecondary education accreditation and the certification process for higher ed institutions to participate in Federal student aid programs.

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance provides advice and counsel on Federal student financial aid policy to both Congress and the Secretary of Education, including the recommendations for increasing college access and persistence to higher ed for low-income and moderate-income students.

As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, I want to thank Chairman Kline, Ranking Member George Miller, and Ranking Member FOXX for their leadership on this issue.

Although I will continue to fight for a more comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, I believe that this bill, as well as the other three higher education bills being voted on this week, make some key improvements to the Higher Education Act.

So with that, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 5134.

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Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 4983, the Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act.

The underlying bill strengthens data transparency in higher education by establishing a new college dashboard Web site, which replaces the Network Navigator and ensures the inclusion of nontraditional students and data metrics.

The college dashboard Web site will provide better and more accessible information for students and families. Key information will consist of enrollment and completion data on full-time and part-time students, disaggregated by Pell recipients; by race, ethnicity, and disability; as well as information on net price, average student loan debt, and the college costs.

This bill promotes transparency on the use of adjunct faculty. For the first time, our Nation's colleges will be required to report the ratio of part-time to full-time instructors by degree level.

In addition, this legislation creates a more accessible calculator with clearer and more individualized information on student costs.

Finally, the bill requires that the college dashboard Web site be consumer tested with other agencies and students and institutions and experts to ensure it provides understandable and relevant information.

I am proud to say that Texas has been a leader in this area. The University of Texas system, for example, has developed an impressive college productivity dashboard designed to create transparency and to measure productivity in a more effective way. Above all, the UT dashboard system also provides students, families, and policymakers with robust data and information that they can use to make more informed decisions.

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