Congress Passes Higher Education Act

By Gina Luke, Assistant Director of the GRD

More federal legislative news affecting veterinarians and veterinary students: After more than five years, Congress recently reauthorized the Higher Education Act (HEA). The legislation establishes policy and authorizes funding for colleges, universities and federal student aid programs. The new law includes a number of grants and student loans, and encompasses a new list of regulatory requirements for postsecondary education institutions. Additionally, it calls for an accreditation advisory body, increases Perkins Loan amounts and student loan forgiveness to certain professionals who work in high need areas, and expands Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN).

Some highlights of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2007, H.R. 4137, passed on July 31, relating to veterinarians and veterinary students include:

School of Veterinary Medicine Competitive Grant Program
"A new provision to increase the veterinary workforce, though not the magic bullet, is a good beginning in helping to address the nation's increasingly critical need for public health veterinarians with specific education and training in food safety and biomedical research," said Dr. Mark Lutschaunig, director of the AVMA's Governmental Relations Division. "We will continue to lobby Congress to pass the Veterinary Public Health Workforce Expansion Act, which would allow the major construction that the schools need to significantly increase student capacity."

Grants from the School of Veterinary Medicine Competitive Grant Program could be used to increase the number of veterinarians in the workforce through paying costs associated with the expansion of academic programs at schools of veterinary medicine, departments of comparative medicine, departments of veterinary science, or entities offering residency training programs, or academic programs that offer postgraduate training for veterinarians or concurrent training for veterinary students in specific areas of specialization, which costs may include minor renovation and improvement in classrooms, libraries and laboratories.

"Veterinarians are the first line of defense in protecting human health through the early detection and response to unusual disease events that could be linked to emerging infectious diseases or other bio-threat agents of concern," said Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), who championed the provision. "As a veterinarian, I know that veterinary medicine is an integral and indispensable component of America's public health system."

Accreditation
The legislation restructures the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) at the U.S. Department of Education, which was first established under the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 (PL 102-325). The NACIQI will assess the process of accreditation and the institutional eligibility and certification of institutions of higher education. The legislation alters the due process practices that accrediting organization must follow in the course of an accreditation review. Accreditors will now be required to provide an opportunity for a written response from institutions that may be subject to negative or adverse actions; assure that any action is based only on documented policy, practice or precedent and assure that the accreditation appeal body is separate from the initial body making accreditation decisions and is subject to conflict of interest policy. The legislation also alters the appeals practices of accrediting organizations by requiring that accreditors provide an opportunity for institutions to put forward new evidence during an appeal process as long as it relates to the institution's financial condition. The AVMA Council on Education is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the accrediting body for schools and programs that offer the professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, or its equivalent in the United States and Canada. The Council also approves foreign veterinary colleges. The AVMA's Council on Education is also recognized by the United States Secretary of Education as authorized by United States law. The GRD worked with the Education and Research Division to get language that would have had a negative impact on the accreditation process removed from the bill.

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)
Under the new law, institutional access to grants for Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) would be expanded. The new definition would require the Secretary of Education to consider an "assessment of the current and future professional workforce needs of the United States" when selecting GAANN designated fields. Veterinary medical schools would qualify for GAANN institutional grants in light of current and anticipated workforce shortages.

Perkins Loan Increases
A newly enacted provision would increase the annual Perkins loan limit for graduate/professional students from $6,000 to $8,000 and provide a corresponding increase in the aggregate Perkins loan limit for graduate/professional students from $40,000 to $60,000. Federal Perkins loans are allocated to postsecondary institutions for award to students, and institutions must match a portion of the allocation.

Cost Expenditure Lists
The U.S. Department of Education is required to establish a "College Navigator" website under the new law. The website would be a place where students could compare the prices, costs and average cost for students receiving federal student loans. All institutions eligible to receive federal student loans or federal aid would be required to submit the information to the Department of Education. Additionally, the law would require the top five percent of postsecondary education institutions that have the largest cost increases to provide detailed information explaining the cost increases.

Loan and Contribution Disclosure
The measure includes a number of provisions aimed at curbing conflicts of interest. The new law prohibits postsecondary education institutions from receiving any gift from a private lender, sharing profits of loans with a lender or co-branding a loan in exchange for any advantages in offering loans to their students. Additionally, students would have three days from signing a loan agreement to cancel the loan.

For more information:

H.R. 4137 bill text (PDF, 970 Kb)

Conference Report (PDF, 26 Mb)

Senator Allard news release

House Education and Labor news release

Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (PDF, 25 Kb)