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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, President Barack Obama has pledged to provide
3support to students in an effort to reach his goal of the
4United States leading the world with the highest proportion of
5college graduates by 2020; and
 
6    WHEREAS, America's higher education system is comprised of
7public and private schools, both for-profit and
8not-for-profit; it is a recognized fact that for-profit career
9colleges and technical schools are a critical part of our
10educational infrastructure; and
 
11    WHEREAS, These schools are currently serving a
12disproportionately high number of adult, minority, and
13lower-income students typically identified as "at risk"; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education is
15considering a Gainful Employment rule that would affect all
16for-profit colleges, universities, and technical schools here
17in Illinois and throughout the nation; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The rule would eliminate the opportunity to pursue
19a chosen program utilizing Title IV financial aid should the
20student fail to meet an arbitrary debt-to-income ratio; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The proposed rule would deny opportunity to
2students who, due to their socio-economic backgrounds, are most
3likely to fail this litmus test and thus harm those who need
4help the most; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The students and academic programs that would be
6most affected by this measure are those most critical to
7meeting the Obama Administration's post-secondary education
8goals; and
 
9    WHEREAS, For-profit institutions tailor their programs to
10these non-traditional students who enroll in career and
11technical programs to gain real-world skills, often while
12working or caring for their own families; and
 
13    WHEREAS, These institutions of higher learning have
14educated millions of students, afforded them career
15opportunities, and served the student population extremely
16well; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Rates of student debt incurred to achieve these
18goals are a concern shared by students, families, and our
19nation as a whole; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The unintended consequences of this regulation
21would harm students, families, communities, and the economic

 

 

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1strength of our nation; and
 
2    WHEREAS, A large, bi-partisan majority in the United States
3House of Representatives has expressed their disapproval of the
4current rule as an inappropriate response to these issues by
5voting to defund efforts to implement the proposal; therefore,
6be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we urge the United States Department of Education and Education
10Secretary Arne Duncan to not endorse the Gainful Employment
11rule, an ill-conceived approach to regulating student
12financial aid which limits choice and opportunity, and instead
13work with Congress on a solution that does not further harm the
14very students it seeks to protect; and be it further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent
16to Secretary Arne Duncan.