FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Auth
202-225-2071

WASHINGTON – Today, United States Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) offered and passed an amendment to the Higher Education Act to protect college students from unnecessary government intrusion into their personal lives.

“The privacy of the individual is one of the main tenets on which our great nation was founded,” said Rep. Foxx in a subcommittee markup this morning.  “It is a fundamental protection that we hold dear, and this amendment will help ensure that privacy isn’t threatened simply because a student chooses to enroll in college.”

The congresswoman’s amendment would prohibit the Department of Education from creating a federal database of information on nearly every facet of college students’ lives. 

“If implemented, this federal database would take ‘big brother’ to a whole new level,” said Rep. Foxx.  “I’m sure those who proposed this system are well-intentioned, but creating a federal database of personal student information is an unacceptable way to go about measuring education trends.”

The Chairman of the House Committee on Education & Workforce, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) praised Rep. Foxx in a committee press release today. “It is essential that we enact safeguards to ensure students’ personal information is protected, and I applaud Rep. Foxx for offering this important amendment to protect individual student privacy rights,” he said.

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