Education
As a senior member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. Petri's leadership on higher education policy has helped make college more accessible and affordable for lower and middle-class families. Further, he has played a critical role in ensuring accountability in the federal student financial loan programs, developing special education policy and improving the No Child Left Behind Act.
In 2008, President Bush signed into law the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the first major overhaul in a decade of the federal law governing higher education. The Higher Education Opportunity Act includes key reforms to ensure access, accountability, affordability and quality in higher education. In the 112th Congress, the Education committee will likely focus on reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act.
K-12/No Child Left Behind
Post-9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act (H.R. 1947)
Rep. Petri, along with Representatives Courtney and Matsui, introduced the Post-9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act (H.R. 1947). This bill makes changes to the years of service requirement to ensure that members of the military who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are eligible to participate in the Troops to Teachers program. It also expands the number of school districts in which participants can qualify for a $5000 stipend towards becoming a teacher. More information
Assessment Accuracy and Improvement Act (H.R. 507)
Rep. Petri's bill would allow states to use computer adaptive testing as the required statewide assessment in reading, math, and science under No Child Left Behind. Educators believe that adaptive makes use of technology to obtain a better understanding of a student's learning.
Special Education
As a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Rep. Petri is aware of the success of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), even without full funding. It has ensured that children with special education needs obtain services from public schools. Since its enactment, this law has helped thousands of children that could otherwise be institutionalized go to school with other children.
However, problems still exist within IDEA, ranging from misidentification of children for special education to the extensive burden on teachers and school officials. Rep. Petri is cognizant of the need to strengthen IDEA to ensure a quality education for children with special needs. The reauthorization of IDEA will likely be before the House of Representatives during the next Congress. During the last reauthorization, Rep. Petri was able to get a provision included to help speed specialized textbooks and other learning materials to sight-impaired students. Reform of IDEA must be a high priority in the next Congress and Rep. Petri hopes to work closely with those who implement and are served by IDEA to improve the law.
Instructional Materials Accessibility
The 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Assistances (IDEA) Act included a new initiative authored by Rep. Petri to help speed specialized textbooks and other learning materials to sight-impaired students. This initiative, taken from Rep. Petri's Instructional Materials Accessibility Act, incorporates a number of approaches that, taken together, will greatly reduce what now can be up to a 6-month wait for our nation's sight-impaired students to receive properly-formatted textbooks.
In 2008, Petri joined with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) to develop a provision to make textbooks more accessible for visually-impaired college students. This provision was included in the final version of the higher education reauthorization bill that was signed into law.
Higher Education
In 2010, the President signed legislation into law that made historic changes to the federal student loan program by eliminating the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and moving the origination of all federal student loans to the Direct Loan program.
Rep. Petri has championed the direct loan concept since 1983 when he became convinced that the FFEL program was unjustifiably costly because the private lenders operating under FFEL get government subsidies to make loans, with taxpayers on the hook for any defaults.
Rep. Petri assisted in the creation of the Direct Loan program in 1993. From the 1980s to the present, Rep. Petri has repeatedly had to defend direct loans from the private interests which unnecessarily profit from FFEL loans at considerable taxpayers' expense. Over the years Rep. Petri has introduced a number of student loan bills that highlighted the cost-effectiveness of direct loans. Rep. Petri has also led congressional oversight efforts over illegitimately obtained taxpayer subsidies by student loan companies.
The statutory change to originate all federal student loans through the Direct Loan program is a significant milestone in Rep. Petri's efforts to reform student loans to make them more cost-effective for the taxpayer while also ensuring that they continue to serve the needs of students. Eliminating guaranteed loans in favor of direct loans means replacing a wasteful program with one that is more cost effective and in the interests of students and taxpayers.
Income-Dependent Education Assistance (IDEA) Act (H.R. 2465 in 110th Congress)
Rep. Petri's IDEA Act would provide sweeping new protections and flexibility for federal student loan borrowers. It would allow borrowers to consolidate their loans into an income-contingent repayment program wherein payments would automatically be made through the IRS and adjusted according to the borrower's income. This will strengthen borrower rights while reducing defaults, saving taxpayers money.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act that was signed into law in 2008 included a critical first step toward implementation of the IDEA Act by requiring the Treasury and Education departments to study how they would implement IRS collection of income-dependent student loans and report back to Congress.
Student Loan Accountability
Rep. Petri has led congressional oversight efforts on spending on student loan companies. He fought the Secretary of Education's efforts to forgive $278 million in illegitimately-obtained subsidies to student lender Nelnet. Rep. Petri successfully secured a provision in the Higher Education Opportunity Act to require Department of Justice reviews of settlements with student loan companies. This provision will help prevent future abuse and lead to greater fiscal accountability at the Department of Education.
Higher Education for Freedom Act
Rep. Petri's legislation would authorize competitive grants to promote civic and American history education. This provision was included in the Higher Education and Opportunity Act that was signed into law in 2008.