| 00:00:00 | SPEAKER, I RISE TODAY IN OPPOSITION TO H. |
| 00:00:05 | R. 2117, THE PROTECTING FREEDOM IN HIGHER EDUCATION ACT. |
| 00:00:10 | THIS LEGISLATION WILL SIMPLY WIPE OUT ALL OF THE CREDIT HOUR AND STATE AUTHORIZATION PROGRAM INTEGRITY RULES. |
| 00:00:19 | THESE RULES ARE SO IMPORTANT AND CRUCIAL BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT PREVENTS THE WIDESPREAD RIP-OFF FRAUD AND ABUSE IN THIS INDUSTRY. |
| 00:00:29 | H. |
| 00:00:30 | R. 2117 WOULD REPEAL THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE AUTHORIZATION REGULATION WHICH GIVES STATES THE ABILITY TO ENFORCE THEIR RIGHT TO REQUIRE THAT ALL COLLEGES OPERATING WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTION BE AUTHORIZED TO DO SO. |
| 00:00:47 | WITHOUT THE STATE AUTHORIZATION RULE, STATES HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING WHICH COLLEGES OPERATE WITHIN THEIR STATES UNLESS THEY OPERATE ON PHYSICAL CAMPUSES. |
| 00:00:57 | THE STATE AUTHORIZATION RULE SIMPLY REQUIRES THAT AS A CONDITION FOR RECEIPT OF FEDERAL AID, COLLEGES VERIFY THAT THEY HAVE AUTHORIZATION FROM THE STATES IN WHICH THEY OPERATE AND ARE INHERENT TO THEIR STATE EDUCATION LAWS. |
| 00:01:11 | THIS LEGISLATION ALSO AIMS TO OVERTURN THE RULE CREATING A SWEEPING FEDERAL DEFINITION OF CREDIT HOUR. |
| 00:01:18 | CURRENTLY THERE IS NO COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT COLLEGES MEAN WHEN THEY USE THE WORD CREDIT. |
| 00:01:23 | THE MOST EGREGIOUS RESULT OF THIS PROVISION'S REPEAL IS THE ABUSES OF FOR PROFIT COLLEGES LIKE THE AMERICAN INTERCONTINENTAL UNIVERSITY WHO HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH INFLATING THEIR CREDIT HOURS TO A POINT WHERE THEY OFFERED NINE COLLEGE CREDITS FOR COURSES THAT WERE ONLY FIVE WEEKS LONG. |
| 00:01:43 | THE FEDERAL DEFINITION OF A CREDIT HOUR IS IMPERATIVE TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS COLLEGES THAT HAVE BEEN INFLATING THEIR CREDIT TO ACQUIRE MORE FEDERAL STUDENT FINANCIAL AID DOLLARS. |
| 00:01:54 | THIS RULE WILL ALSO HELP MITIGATE THE WIDESPREAD PROBLEMS STUDENTS FACE IN TRANSFERRING CREDITS FROM ONE INSTITUTION TO ANOTHER BY ARTICULATING A MORE PRECISE MEASURE OF EDUCATIONAL CONCEPT ATTAINMENT REPRESENTED BY CREDITS A STUDENT EARNED. |
| 00:02:13 | . THE RULES HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS RECEIVE A FAIR SHAKE IN THEIR QUEST TO OBTAIN A HIGHER EDUCATION. |
| 00:02:21 | INSTEAD OF WORKING AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SECRETARY DUNCAN, POLICYMAKERS SHOULD BE WORKING WITH THEM TO IMPLEMENT THESE RULES IN A SENSIBLE WAY. |
| 00:02:30 | NOT TRYING TO REPEAL THEM ALTOGETHER. |
| 00:02:33 | LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH PRIVATE POST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IS THE NEXT BIGGEST SCANDAL. |
| 00:02:39 | YOU'D THINK THE SUBPRIME MELTDOWN WAS BIG, WHEN AMERICAN TAXPAYERS FIND OUT HOW MUCH OF THEIR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING RIPPED OFF BY THESE PRIVATE POST SECONDARY SCHOOLS WHO HAVE THE JOE BLOW SCHOOL FOR COMPUTER LEARNING WITH NO COMPUTERS, TEACHERS WHO ARE NOT ACCREDITED, CREDIT HOURS THAT ARE DISTORTED AND STUDENTS WHO DON'T GET TRAINED, DON'T GET EDUCATION, CAN'T TRANSFER ANYTHING AND END UP WITH A LOT OF DEBT. |
| 00:03:04 | I ASK YOU TO PLEASE REJECT THIS LEGISLATION. |
| 00:03:08 | I HAVE THE GREATEST RESPECT FOR THE LEGISLATOR WHO HAS INTRODUCED THIS BUT WRONG. |
| 00:03:15 | THIS IS A RIP -- BUT THIS IS WRONG. |
| 00:03:17 | THGS A RIPOFF -- THIS IS A RIPOFF. |
Ms. WATERS. Madam Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2117, the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act.
This legislation will simply wipe out all of the credit-hour and State authorization program integrity rules. These rules are so important and crucial because this is what prevents the widespread rip-off, fraud, and abuse in this industry.
H.R. 2117 would repeal the Department of Education's State authorization regulation, which gives States the ability to enforce their right to require that all colleges operating within their jurisdictions be authorized to do so. Without this State authorization rule, States have no way of knowing which colleges operate within their State unless they operate on physical campuses.
The State authorization rule simply requires that, as a condition for a receipt of Federal aid, colleges verify that they have authorization from the States in which they operate and are in adherence to their State education laws.
This legislation also aims to overturn the rule creating a sweeping Federal definition of credit hour. Currently, there is no common understanding of what colleges mean when they use the word ``credit.'' The most egregious result of this provision's repeal is the abuses of for-profit colleges, like the American Intercontinental University, who has been charged with inflating their credit hours to a point when they offered nine college credits for courses that were only 5 weeks long.
The Federal definition of a credit hour is imperative to directly address colleges that have been inflating their credits to acquire more Federal student financial aid dollars.
This rule will also help mitigate the widespread problems students face in transferring credits from one institution to another by articulating a more precise measure of educational concept attainment represented by credits a student earned.
The Acting CHAIR (Mrs. Emerson). The time of the gentlewoman has expired.