Date: 2001-10-10
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker. I rise in support of this legislation. As has been pointed out by my colleagues. this legislation would repeal the 50 percent cap. It would eliminate the 12hour rule. And it would clarify the. restrictions on commissions paid for student recruiters. The concerns that many of my colleagues have raised. I think. are valid. I think we are all aware of them. We have tried to address them in this legislation and also with expressing our concerns to the Department. It was not that long ago. and obviously many of my colleagues will remember this. the fraud that plagued the student aid programs. where we saw people organizing themselves in a manner to get young people to apply for student aid and had no intention of delivering them an education. We spent a long time changing that program and the gentlewoman from Hawaii was one of the leaders in that effort to do that. But I think this is a different kettle of fish in the sense that I believe that what we are trying to do is. recognize the reality of what has taken place in the area of distance learning and recognizing that. in fact. the rules that we are waiving here really have very little to do with increasing the risk to the aid programs. We have also made it very clear that those programs. if the Secretary thinks they need to. can require the 50 percent rule if he finds there is a significant risk of fraud or abuse. Schools have to notify us if they are going to. not meet the 12hour rule. We have also accepted in the committee the amendment of the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) to provide for the assessment of this program as we go forward. But I think. in fact. what this will allow us to do is to go forward in real time to allow the maximum amount of flexibility and utilization of this program that really offers great promise to students in so many different settings. whether they are working full time or part time or whether they are just beginning their education. or even. in a number of instances. young people in high school who want to try to get some of their lower division units out of the way can do it by distance learning and have no opportunity to go to that university because they live in rural areas or isolated areas. I think we ought to make sure .that we give them that opportunity. Colleges still must be certified as nonprofit accrediting associations recognized by the Secretary and still have to be State approved and licensed. The default rates have been addressed. So I think we have put together a pretty good bill. I think. also. it is pretty clear that the current rules and regulations really did not contemplate the vast use and opportunity of the Internet as we now know it. I think the members of this committee have also understood and we have made it clear to the Department of Education. to schools and to States and others that we are taking some risk here. E) 1215 We are going to be paying attention and we are going to be watching to see what happens here. Many Members have spoken about the reauthorization coming up in 2003. I think this legislation will give us an opportunity to see exactly what is taking place on the ground. If there are abuses. we will have the opportunity in a timely fashion to address those abuses. but we cannot deny the importance that distance learning is playing every day in all of our universities. From the great private universities. to the public universities. to community colleges. to trade schools and to others. this is an opportunity for so many people to have access to an education. where before they simply would not be able to get there or they would have to give up income to their families to participate in it. I would hope that we would pass this legislation. I would say. however. that I think the concerns that are being raised by Members on my side of the aisle are valid concerns. and we have got to pay attention to them. If people are going to take advantage of this. we ought to make sure that that not be allowed to continue and that we correct those. if that should happen.