House Committee Passes Higher Education Act Reauthorization
On October 31, the House Education and Labor Committee reported out its version of the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill, The College Affordability Act. The legislation includes a reauthorization of the Title VI International Education Programs and extends the six currently funded international education programs, including both Domestic Programs (also known as Title VI) and Overseas Programs (also known as Fulbright-Hays). The legislation also proposes that the funding level for International Education Programs should be increased to $125 million and be updated annually to account for inflation. This would be significantly higher than the $72.2 million appropriated in fiscal year (FY) 2019. The Committee hopes to bring their bill to the floor for full House consideration before the end of the year. More information, including the full bill text, can be found on the Committee’s website. While the legislation benefits from strong support in the Democratically-controlled House, it is not likely that it will considered in the Republican-controlled Senate.