Community College Leaders Send Lawmakers HEA Wish List

The leaders of 12 community college systems urged House and Senate lawmakers this week to pass an update to the Higher Education Act that includes priorities for two-year institutions.

In a letter to top lawmakers on the House and Senate education committees, the community college leaders asked that four bills with bipartisan support be included in a new HEA law:

• The JOBS Act, which would expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term training programs.
• The College Transparency Act, which would establish a national student-level data system to track outcomes at the college and program level.
• The Gateway to Careers Act, which would make competitive federal funding available to institutions addressing barriers to college completion like childcare costs.
• The Community College to Career Fund in Higher Education, which would provide competitive grant funding to colleges working to connect students with employers.

The letter was signed by leaders of community college systems in Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington State.