Education is a human right, that’s something that you cannot argue with.
The United States has an incredible education system that ensures that everybody (regardless of their background) is entitled to basic education. Fortunately, there have been actions and bills that legislative bodies have prioritized. These put education into the foreground, for multiple different reasons. It’s important to know about the most relevant education bills that might just affect you as a young person.
This post will cover the details of the ones you should be paying attention to.
HBCU Propelling Agency Relationships Towards a New Era of Results for Students
US S461 focuses on strengthening the capacity and competitiveness of historically black colleges.
The plan is through robust public sectors, private sectors, and community partnerships and engagement. Why is this relevant for you? If you’re planning on going to University this year, it’s important to know how strong and equal your University is.
This bill specifically focuses on strengthening the partnerships between federal agencies and more than 100 historically black colleges and universities in the country. This will help open up University to a new generation of students. They will provide even more amazing opportunities to students, and charge almost 30% less than their peer institutions.
H.R. 786: Education and Energy Act of 2019
US HR786 revises the Mineral Leasing Act, which required that a portion of revenues from the new Federal mineral and geothermal leases are paid to states.
The money is used to supplement the education of younger students in kindergarten through to grade 12. It also supports public support of institutions of higher education – for other reasons. This is an important bill to be aware of, as these funds help to run states and country-level public education systems.
S.Res. 33: A resolution supporting the contributions of Catholic schools
US SRes33 explicitly stated that Catholic schools are internationally known for their academic excellence, and provide students with something much more than an education.
This bill supports the idea that Catholic schools instill broad, life-long lessons in terms of moral, intellectual and social values. This bill essentially states that they recognize the vital contributions and applauds Catholic schools. This means that Catholic schools will continue to be of extreme prominence in the United States, and they will play a key role in providing education for future generations.
The bill has been met with mixed responses from multiple legislators and the public.
College Transparency Act
US S800 established that postsecondary student data systems should be developed, provide better information about the college patterns, higher education costs, post-collegiate outcomes, and financial aid. This transparency would allow institutions to develop and improve their analysis of Federal Aid programs.
This bill currently has bipartisan support, with 19 con sponsors in the Senate.
“Despite the concern about security, this bill bans the sale of the data, which prohibits access even by law enforcement – it also limits the use of personally identifiable information.” — Amanda Carmichael, Human Resources Specialist at Top Writers Review.
What You Can Do for Your Country Act
Democratic senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Tim Kaine introduced the What You Can Do for Your Country Act of 2019 (US S1203). It was also brought along by 13 other senators.
This bill replaces the current system, which objectively is not working. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program aims to allow eligible direct loan forgiveness after 10 years of full-time service for a federal state. However, 99% of applicants were rejected as of 2018. If new bill is passed, it would allow all types of federal loans and repayment plans – this would allow more forgiveness, and ultimately give more people chances.
PROTECT Students Act
The PROTECT Students Act (US S867) has 22 Democratic cosponsors in the Senate.
This act aims to protect students, which includes service members and veterans, from “predatory higher education practices.” Ultimately, it would aid in student-loan forgiveness, especially in the face of misleading information and promises made by schools. It will also look into law violations at various universities. This bill would also focus on the 90/10 rule which means that for-profit schools won’t be able to take more than 90% of their revenue from Title IV funds. This rule helps to protect from fraudulent for-profit and non-profit conversations.
This is a really important bill to keep your eye on.
Employer Participation in Repayment Act
This cross-aisle bill (US S460) aims to aid student-debt repayment. If this is passed, the act could offer a tax credit to employers than help to pay an employee’s student debt.
This bill specifically focuses on expanding the tax exclusion for employer-provided educational assistance. It will include payments of qualified education loans.
IN – S.B. 65: Sex Education
This has been a hot topic in the news and on social media at the moment.
IN SB0065 prohibits schools from teaching sex education to students without parental support. Sex education in this case includes topics on gender identity and sexual orientation – two arguably essential topics for young people.
As introduced, the bill means young people will not be allowed to take sex education lessons without their parent’s consent. However the the bill changed slightly during the committee process – it now allows a lack of reply from parents to be considered as consent. In other words, no response from a parent ultimately means a yes. The final version also does not explicitly mention gender identity and sexual orientation, although it is heavily implied with “human sexuality.”
Conclusion
It’s not only vital that you keep your eye on individual bills, but also work towards helping for laws to be passed, and challenge ones that you don’t agree with. One easy step to take is calling your representatives to tell them your views on this bills.
Bills are being proposed all the time, and some (like those listed above) might just affect you to an incredible degree.