{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://francisrooney.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=291", "Congressman Francis Rooney Supports Reform of Higher Education to Prepare Students for Real-World Job Opportunities", "2017-12-13", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Francis Rooney", "R000607", "francisrooney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC\u00a0- Today, Congressman Rooney proudly supported reform of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Despite the act\u2019s mission of \u201cbeing a reliable pathway for students to receive a high-quality education and equip themselves with the skills necessary to find a good paying job\u201d, the HEA has resulted in historically high tuition prices and student debt while failing to adequately address the estimated 6 million unfilled jobs in America.\u00a0\r\nCongressman Rooney stated, \u201cThese Higher Education Act reforms will refocus priorities where they belong \u2013 on preparing students to fill the 6 million job vacancies that currently exist, reducing historically high student debt and tuition prices, and ensure stronger accountability and a more limited federal role in education. The world is changing rapidly and our education system must have the tools and flexibility to respond to these changes; the status quo isn\u2019t working.\u201d\r\nThe Higher Education Act:\r\n\u2022\u00a0Strengthens Workforce Development:\u00a0The bill expands opportunities for students by reforming the federal work-study program, allowing students to use federal student aid for shorter-term programs that will get them into the workforce quicker, and encouraging partnerships between colleges and industry to expand opportunities.\r\n\u2022\u00a0Increases \u2018Earn and Learn\u2019 options:\u00a0The bill allocates $183 million to community colleges for apprenticeship programs of up to two years.\r\n\u2022\u00a0Streamlines Student Aid:\u00a0The bill streamlines student aid programs into one grant program, one loan program, and one Work-Study program to ease confusion for students who are deciding the best options available to responsibly pay for their college education.\r\n\u2022\u00a0Simplifies Repayment:\u00a0The bill pares down the maze of loan repayment options to one standard 10-year repayment plan and one income-based repayment plan.\r\n\u2022\u00a0Eliminates Burdensome Federal Regulations:\u00a0The bill eliminates burdensome federal regulations that put Washington in the middle of issues that are the responsibility of institutions or states, limit student choice, and stifle innovation.\u00a0\r\n\u2022\u00a0Repeals Unfunded Programs:\u00a0The bill repeals all unfunded programs ensuring congressional priorities are maintained in the future.\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://francisrooney.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=291"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9514872692525387, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}