Leaders Lash Out at ‘Price Control’ Legislation
By Charles Dervarics
Higher education leaders are waging a pre-emptive strike against new legislation they fear could impose government price controls on colleges.
At issue is a proposal from Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ postsecondary education subcommittee, which would issue sanctions against colleges whose tuition increases are twice the rate of inflation. If a college raises tuition by that amount, it first would have to provide a written explanation to the U.S. Department of Education. If it fails to bring tuition more in line with inflation within a year, the college could lose eligibility for federal student aid programs.
