The Maneater (U. Missouri)
(U-WIRE)-An amendment to the Higher Education Act being considered this session would penalize colleges for consistent, large tuition increases.
U.S. Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon of California proposed the amendment which would set penalties for universities that consistently raise tuition at a rate higher than the “College Affordability Index” established by the law.
The amendment defines the index at twice the rate of inflation based on the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, which measures the cost of consumer goods in major urban areas.
Under the bill, “an institution that increases its tuition and fees more than two times the CPI for an interval of three years would have to provide an explanation of the factors contributing to the increase and a management and action plan on how to reduce increases in its costs and tuition fees,” according to a news release by McKeon’s office. McKeon’s spokesman did not return a phone call Thursday afternoon.