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Providing for Consideration of Conference Report on H.R. 4137, Higher Education Opportunity Act

Date: July 31, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Education


PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4137, HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ACT -- (House of Representatives - July 31, 2008)

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Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Rules Committee for the time. I rise to support this rule and the conference report for the Higher Education Opportunity Act.

I had the honor to serve on the Education and Workforce Committee for my first 6 years in Congress, and it is a real pleasure to know that we will finally be able to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. I commend Chairman Miller and Ranking Member McKeon on this bipartisan bill.

This bill increases need-based aid and provides for more access to information on the costs of college. It restores sunshine to student loan programs and simplifies financial aid application processes. And it makes new investments to encourage science and technology careers.

This bill focuses on the needs of students who are the future of this country and the key to our global competitiveness. I'm particularly pleased that this conference report includes a provision I worked on with Congressman Tierney to hold States accountable for their investment in higher education.

I also want to thank Chairman Miller and Congressman Bishop for working to include a definition of ``diploma mills'' and for requiring the Secretary of Education to provide information on these fraudulent businesses that defraud students, their families, and employers.

Today we begin a Federal effort to prevent and prosecute diploma mills. Diploma mills sell worthless degrees. They threaten the reputation of America's colleges and universities by blatantly using similar names. Diploma mills cheat taxpayers when local school districts and even the Federal government hire one individual with a fraudulent degree. Phony medical degrees from diploma mills can have and have caused serious harm and even death. These fraudulent degrees can be used to obtain visas making the fact that they exist a national security issue.

The failure to shut down diploma mills has been noted in other countries, harming our reputation around the world. The increasing number of diploma mills has created, as you can see, serious problems. This legislation includes the first step in addressing the problem, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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