WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and eight of his Senate colleagues have signed a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to request that the College Transparency Act be included in the year-end omnibus spending bill.
“As families are grappling with tougher financial decisions and budgets that are more strained than ever, and as policy makers are making difficult decisions about the future of our higher education system, we have no time to waste,” the senators wrote. “Until Congress passes the widely supported, strongly bipartisan College Transparency Act, students and families will continue to be left in the dark about the return on investment in post-secondary education.”
The College Transparency Act provides actionable and customizable information for students and families as they consider higher education opportunities. The bill modernizes the college reporting system for postsecondary data by ensuring accurate reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college success across colleges and majors, while ensuring the privacy of individual students is securely protected.
This information will tell students how others with their backgrounds have succeeded at an institution, and help point them towards schools and programs of study best suited to their unique needs and desired outcomes. It will also aid institutions of learning and policymakers in their work to improve our country’s postsecondary education system.
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tim Scott (R-SC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Cassidy in signing the letter.
The College Transparency Act has broad bipartisan, bicameral support. It has been cosponsored by 234 representatives (151 Democrats and 83 Republicans), and it has 37 cosponsors in the Senate (20 Republicans and 17 Democrats).
See the letter here.
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