AACS Public Policy Advisor Met with Top House GOP Members - Updates Provided During Spring Executive Retreat May 1-4

On behalf of AACS and Champion College Services Inc., AACS Public Policy Advisor was invited to attend two events in Phoenix last week with Speaker of the House John Boehner, House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline, and House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Cole. Needless to say, Tom was provided a great deal of opportunity to discuss AACS' 2015 HEA Reauthorization CARE Agenda and more importantly was able to gain a great deal of insight into the GOP's latest plan to move some, if not all, of HEA reauthorization this year.  Tom will provide attendees at this weekend's AACS Spring Executive Retreat with up to the minute comments and analysis on what he learned from his time with these top officials, the very latest on GE regulatory compliance and the status of GE litigation set for oral arguments in New York next Tuesday.

We hope you will be able to join us – but if not, stay tuned for upcoming GRC Webinars on these important topics to come!

Arriving in Phoenix last Friday evening, Tom participate in an intimate dinner with Chairman Kline and a group of only twelve people including the Chairman, Amy Jones – the senior education policy staffer for the E&W Committee, and representatives from Apollo Group, UTI,  and the private debt collection industry.

On Saturday, Tom rode with Chairman Kline for nine of eighteen holes of golf, followed by yet another quiet conversation with a select few individuals and their staff.

Then, on Sunday, Tom participated in portions of a GOP Executive Retreat which included two receptions during the day with the Speaker of the House and both Chairman, dinner with all three attended by Mary Lyn Hammer, concluding with a fireside chat hosted by both Chairman as well. Of course, Tom had a lot of time to discuss AACS' top legislative priorities contained within AACS' 2015 HEA Reauthorization "CARE" Agenda.  At the top of the list, was the elimination of the gainful employment regulations, followed closely by the repeal of 90/10, restoration of ATB, reforms to the administration of the FDSLP, and new topics which have arisen as a result of Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander's White Papers on Institutional Risk Sharing/Skin-in-the-Game, Accreditation, and Data Transparency and Consumer Information.

During the Retreat Tom will share new information on the GOP's plan and in the days, weeks, and months ahead, AACS will be called upon to assist the House leaders in moving key bills and proposals through the House and Senate.