While presidential candidates debate the pros and cons
of their plans for education, the chances that Congress will reauthorize the
Higher Education Act in 2016 are moving from slim to none as each day passes.
The law that was passed in 2008 was supposed to expire in 2014, but has continued
through automatic extensions or other congressional action.
Most observers see a comprehensive rewrite of HEA as a
longshot during a presidential election year. In addition, it’s thought that
any new administration will not have reauthorization high on its list of
legislative priorities once it takes office next January, according to a report
in Inside Higher Ed.
“I don’t see any real possibility of the House and
Senate passing two bills, reconciling them together, and sending something to
the president,” said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of
Student Financial Aid Administrators. “The better question is: Will we actually
see bills introduced in the committees? That, to me, would be progress.”
While there is some hope among experts that lawmakers
may still be able to pass smaller bills this year, many areas of disagreement
remain and must be worked out. Even in an area such as financial aid simplification,
getting a bill in front of the House or Senate will not be easy despite
bipartisan support.
“I
do think we’ll see some legislative language and more people showing their
cards,” Draeger said. “At least then we’ll have something we can work with and
react to.”
