WASHINGTON, DC -- For the first time since 1998, the U.S. Senate today passed a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. This legislation builds on the passage last week of the Higher Education Access Act, which makes a nearly $14 billion investment in additional need-based grant assistance for low-income students, and will help middle-class students and families pay down and manage their student loan debt by capping monthly loan payments at 15 percent of their discretionary income and providing loan forgiveness to students who continue in public-service professions for 10 years, including teachers, nurses, and librarians.

"Rhode Islanders want us to address the real problems they face. Problems like affording a college education for their children, and this bill does that. It also ensures that more teachers have the necessary skills and support to effectively raise student achievement in our neighborhood schools," said Reed, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

The Senate-passed Higher Education Act reauthorization bill includes several important provisions authored by Senator Reed, including key elements to:

Simplify the Financial Aid Process and Forms

Reed's measure will reform the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) by creating a new 2-page EZ-FAFSA for low-income students, and phasing out the current 7-page FAFSA for all applicants. It will also help facilitate student planning by creating a pilot program that allows students to receive an aid determination or estimate in their junior year of high school.

"Applying for college can be a stressful and daunting task. We should make the process of applying for financial aid as simple and streamlined as possible," said Reed. "The FAFSA Act will take some of the guess work out of the process and give more students the opportunity to complete financial applications earlier and receive early estimates of aid eligibility."

Expand Access to College Through Early Outreach and State Partnerships

Building on the success of the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program, Reed's provision creates a new federal incentive for states to form partnerships with businesses, colleges, and non-profit organizations to provide low-income students with increased need-based grant aid, early information and assurance of aid eligibility (beginning in middle school), and early intervention, mentoring, and outreach services. Research has shown that college access programs that combine these elements are successful in making the dream of higher education a reality. Students participating in such programs are more financially and academically prepared, and thus, more likely to enroll in college and persist to degree completion.

"Since 1972, the federal-state partnership embodied by LEAP, with modest federal support, has helped leverage state grant aid to low-and moderate-income students. Without this important federal incentive, many states would never have established need-based financial aid programs, and many states would not continue to maintain such programs," noted Reed. "Last year, states matched approximately $64 million in federal LEAP funds with over $840 million in supplemental need-based aid. In Rhode Island, federal investment of approximately $350,000 in LEAP funds spurred the state to expend over $13 million in need-based aid."

Enhance Recruitment, Preparation, and Retention of Teachers and Early Childhood Educators

This initiative will strengthen the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants program and improve college teacher preparation programs. The PRREP Act uses proven strategies to provide teachers and early childhood educators with effective teaching skills, high-quality mentoring and support, and enhanced opportunities for professional development. It also seeks to ensure that teachers have the ability to integrate technology into the classroom, use assessments to improve instructional practices and curriculum, and involve parents in their children's education.

"Improving teacher quality is the single most important measure we can take to increase student achievement. Highly effective teachers are essential to providing students with a strong, quality education," said Reed. "This legislation will provide federal support to ensure that teachers not only have the credentials to be considered a highly qualified teacher under the No Child Left Behind Act, but also the skills and training to be truly effective in the classroom."

Put Highly Qualified Librarians in Every School District

Key provisions from the LIBRARIAN Act, which Reed authored along with Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), will help address the shortage of librarians in low-income areas across the country. This measure will cancel Perkins student loans for full-time librarians with a master's degree in library science. Librarians working full-time in low-income areas would qualify for up to 100 percent Perkins student loan forgiveness depending on their number of years of experience.

"Librarians play an essential role in our schools and public libraries, and help to foster a lifelong love of reading in our young people," noted Reed. "With a shortage of librarians across the country and with many more set to retire, we must urgently encourage more people to enter the library science field and work to retain valuable librarians who are already serving our communities."

Increase Loan Forgiveness for Members of the Armed Forces

The Higher Education Amendments also include provisions Reed authored to expand Perkins loan forgiveness for members of the Armed Forces from 50 to 100 percent.

Provide Greater Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

The bill also includes provisions Reed authored to create career pathways for students with disabilities by providing training and support to middle school, high school, and university staff to encourage interest and understanding of educational and work-based opportunities for students, including those with disabilities, in disability-related fields.

The Higher Education Amendments of 2007 also helps reform the student loan system to ensure that college financial aid offices are acting in the best interests of the students they serve.

"I am pleased this reauthorization bill includes provisions responding to recently uncovered conflicts of interests between lenders and college financial aid offices. This legislation provides students and families with increased disclosure about special arrangements between lenders and colleges and the terms and conditions of a school's "preferred lender list;" prohibits payments, gifts, and other inducements from lenders to colleges and financial aid administrators; and requires colleges to establish and follow a student loan code of conduct," concluded Reed.