{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://rokita.house.gov/press-release/prosper-act-opening-door-make-american-students-best-world", "PROSPER Act: Opening the Door to Make American Students the Best in the World", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "IN", "Todd Rokita", "R000592", "rokita.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  \n\tCONTACT: 202-225-5037  \n\tTUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2017\n\u00a0\n PROSPER Act: Opening the Door to Make American Students the Best in the World \n\u00a0\nWashington, DC--Today, Congressman Todd Rokita will participate in the markup of the PROSPER Act to improve career readiness for Hoosiers by bettering higher education institutions.  \n\t\u00a0\n\u201cWhen our kids leave college they need to be ready for the career path they choose--but today, not all of our students are ready. This reform is going to help give students and parents the reassurance that their degrees are workforce relevant. It will also help students financially by focusing on simplifying the student aid process, focusing on consolidation and simplification of loans, and overall bringing down the cost of education.\u201d \n\u00a0\nThe PROSPER Act includes major changes to the Department of Education bureaucracy as a result of Rokita\u2019s efforts. The PROSPER Act calls for a consolidation and elimination of duplicative programs and, as a result of \u00a0Rokita\u2019s efforts, this consolidation would also eliminate jobs from these programs. Rokita also wrote part of the legislation that would limit the power of the Secretary of Education because the power to influence education is better placed at the state and local level.\n\u00a0\n\u201cThe U.S. Department of Education has too much power and there\u2019s too much bureaucracy--it is getting in the way of our kids and their futures,\u201d said Rokita. \u201cThe PROSPER Act is about creating an environment that helps students prosper by eliminating harmful bureaucracy, simplifying the student aid application and approval process, encouraging educational innovation, and truly opening the door to make American students the best in the world. Through the PROSPER Act our students will be given more opportunity.\u201d\n\u00a0\nThe PROSPER Act also:\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Advocates for the First Amendment Rights of Students by reminding universities that they should be upholding students\u2019 free speech rights\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eliminates duplicative student aid programs\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Simplifies the burdensome FAFSA form and process\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Promotes financial counseling to help students make better financial decisions regarding their loans\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Enhances accountability and transparency\n\u00a0\nWatch the markup by clicking here.\n\u00a0\nFor more information on the PROSPER Act, click here.", 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://rokita.house.gov/press-release/prosper-act-opening-door-make-american-students-best-world"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5722280368208885, "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"}