J. Michael Smith, Esq. President Michael P. Farris, Esq. Chairman

On Wednesday, June 15, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee will be marking-up a bill introduced by Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) to limit the Department of Education’s role in Higher Education. The bill in question, H.R. 2117, is entitled “To Prohibit The Department Of Education From Overreaching Into Academic Affairs And Program Eligibility Under Title IV Of The Higher Education Act Of 1965.”

H.R. 2117 is in direct response to new Department of Education regulations that were issued last November to add a federal definition of a credit hour and federally restrict the accreditation policies of college and universities. HSLDA was concerned that the U.S. Department of Education would use regulations to control and regulate all higher education. Federal control over the very existence of colleges and universities was never attempted before these regulations.

However, after the Education and Workforce committee held a hearing earlier this year on how these new federal regulations would harm colleges and universities, Congresswoman Foxx and House Education and Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) drafted H.R. 2117, a 3-page bill to simply repeal the new federal restrictions.

Action Requested

We urge you to call your U.S. representative and let them know your opinion on H.R. 2117, repealing the federal regulations for Colleges and Universities. Since the federal regulations affect all students, not just homeschooled graduates, there is no need to identify yourself as a homeschooler.

You can include some or all of the following in your message. We encourage you to put this into your own words, and maybe share some of your personal experiences:

“I am very concerned about the U.S. Department of Education’s rule that was published on Friday, June 18, 2010, regarding 34 CFR Parts 600, 602, et al. , ‘Program Integrity Issues.’ This rule gives the federal government the power to force the states to create new regulatory bureaucracies to regulate colleges and universities. Additionally, the federal government is now empowered to define what constitutes a ‘credit hour,’ and to force colleges and universities to comply with additional regulations.

I urge you to support H.R. 2117 in repealing these regulations.”

Other Resources

HSLDA: H. R. 2117 bill information

Heritage Foundation: “Nanny State Goes to College”

Denver Post : “Stop Plan to Put Colleges under Political Supervision”