Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015 Introduced By Grassley, Leahy, Smith & Johnson

WASHINGTON - Leading members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees introduced legislation Tuesday to extend an antitrust exemption that allows certain colleges and universities to collaborate on issues of need-based financial aid.

The Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015 allows colleges and universities that admit students on a need-blind basis to collaborate on the formula they use to determine how much families can pay for college.

This exemption was first enacted in 1994, and has been reauthorized by Congress three times without opposition, most recently in 2008. In addition to collaborating on a common formula for calculating ability to pay for college, higher education institutions are permitted to agree to award aid only on the basis of financial need and use a common application for aid.

The current exemption expires in September. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced today by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Congressman Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), who both serve on the House Judiciary Committee, extends the exemption another seven years. The bill also removes a previously permitted activity that no school has ever used.

"By explicitly permitting these specific antitrust activities, Congress prevents needless and costly litigation.  It's an important provision that helps ensure that the colleges and universities covered by this section of the law admit students without regard to ability to pay," Senator Grassley said.  "Allowing the use of these common principles helps make available need-based aid to low and middle income families and increases access to higher education, without causing harm to competition."

"Exceptions to our antitrust laws require meaningful oversight and I have worked with my cosponsors to seriously consider the impact of the Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015," Senator Leahy said. "This bill allows the covered colleges and universities to focus their resources on ensuring the most qualified students can attend some of the best schools in the nation, regardless of family income. This is an important goal, and one that we should all support."

"In today's world, higher education is an increasingly essential component to career success.  I believe all students, regardless of their financial situation, should have access to an affordable college education. Most Americans would never imagine that anti-trust laws could come between students and an affordable higher education," Congressman Smith said. "Our bill will make it easier for students to obtain need-based assistance to pay for college."

"The Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015 is critical to ensuring the continued use of a common, need-based formula for awarding financial aid to students at some of our nation's leading colleges and universities," Congressman Johnson said. "Importantly, this bill's limited exception to the antitrust laws preserves a level playing field for students at these institutions through a need-blind admissions process, empowering low-income and minority students to access a first-rate education."

# # # # #

Colleges & Universities Support The Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015

·         "Section 568 is a no-cost provision of federal law that increases access to higher education.  First enacted in 1994 and reauthorized several times since then, the provision facilitates thoughtful collaboration by qualified financial aid professionals on need-blind financial aid policies.  This provision has enabled 568 institutions to maximize allocation of our significant institutional aid resources and to ensure that those funds are targeted to benefit the students with the greatest financial need and to reduce or, in some cases, eliminate debt loads on graduation." 568 Presidents' Group

·         "The Need-Based Educational Aid Act will ensure that Middlebury continues to attract and admit the best students without regard to their families' financial situation.  We applaud Senator Leahy's leadership on this important, bipartisan issue." Kim Downs, Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services, Middlebury College (Vermont)  

Union bosses dumped more than $7.5 million into the Wisconsin and Michigan governor races only to see both states' labor-reforming incumbents re-elected.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, both Republicans, were two of the five governors publicly targeted by union coalition AFL-CIO in February. Last Tuesday, Walker defeated Democrat Mary Burke 52-47, and Snyder defeated Democrat Mark Schauer 51-47.

Big labor hates ? and in 2012 tried to recall ? Walker because of 2011's Act 10, a centerpiece of his agenda limiting the power of public-sector unions. Snyder signed two right-to-work laws in 2012, empowering most Michigan workers to opt out of paying labor union bosses and launching himself near the top of the union enemies list.

Without accounting for union contributions to Democratic Party committees or any of a laundry list of politically active "progressive" nonprofits, unions this year spent at least $4,387,631 against Walker and at least $3,276,973 against Snyder. These figures likely far understate unions' staff and monetary investments in both races.

Based on campaign finance reports filed with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, Burke's failed campaign received more than $650,000 of cash and in-kind support from labor unions.

The Washington, D.C., headquarters of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, United Food and Commercial Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and International Association of Fire Fighters each sent Burke donations of the maximum $43,128 allowed by state law.

National Education Association headquarters sent Burke $43,000 from D.C., and her campaign received max contributions from Wisconsin Professional Police Association, United Auto Workers Wisconsin and NEA-affiliate Wisconsin Education Association Council. Several WEAC locals gave Burke four- or five-figure donations.

Campaign finance reports submitted to the Michigan secretary of state show union contributions to Schauer exceeding $630,000. International Union of Painters and Allied Trades sent $50,000 from its national headquarters, IBEW headquarters donated $44,500, UFCW headquarters gave $44,300 and AFSCME headquarters gave $34,000.

Schauer received maximum $68,000 contributions from the Michigan affiliates of UAW and Communications Workers of America, and received $60,381 from Michigan Education Association.

Although labor bosses profess opposition to unlimited independent expenditures from "super PACs," most union spending against Walker and Snyder came from independent expenditures. Union fronts Greater Wisconsin Committee and We Are Wisconsin spent a combined total of more than $3.7 million in big labor's latest attempt to defeat Walker.

Greater Wisconsin Committee PAC spent $1,218,468 in the governor's race and received $1,298,000 from WEAC in the latest reporting period. AFSCME headquarters funneled $2,370,000 to We Are Wisconsin Political Fund and WEAC gave $500,000 during the latest reporting period, while the group spent $2,517,443 in the governor's race.

"Once again, Big Labor failed in its attempt to defeat Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the author of collective bargaining reform," Brett Healy, president of the Wisconsin-based, free-market MacIver Institute said in an email to Watchdog.org.

"One union boss even said they had 'a score to settle' with Walker," Healy added.

"Wisconsin taxpayers, on the other hand, are ecstatic that Act 10 has saved them almost $3 billion dollars over the last (four) years which has led Walker to cut taxes by $2 billion dollars, freeze property taxes at 2010 levels statewide and freeze tuition at the University of Wisconsin.

"The popularity of Act 10 with Wisconsinites is exactly the reason why Big Labor's decision to spend their members' hard-earned money on this wild-goose chase is so ridiculous and disappointing," Healy said. "It is clear the unions are more worried about yielding crass political power than the welfare of their members.

"Sounds to me like the taxpayers have settled the score, once and for all, with Big Labor," Healy said.

In Michigan, union super PACs sank more than $2.6 million into unseating Snyder. NEA Advocacy Fund spent $703,747, Service Employees International Union Community Alliance spent $689,270 and AFL-CIO's Workers' Voice spent $632,459.

Michigan For All spent $644,617 in the governor's race, fueled by donations of $300,000 from SEIU Community Alliance, over $700,000 from AFSCME, and more than $400,000 from NEA Advocacy Fund.

F. Vincent Vernuccio, labor policy director at Michigan's free-market Mackinac Center, told Watchdog.org the Nov. 4 election "was less a referendum and more a reaffirmation on labor reform."

"The referendums occurred in May and July, which were the two deadlines for unions to put right-to-work on the ballot in Michigan, either as an initiative or a constitutional amendment," Vernuccio said. "And it happened throughout the governor's race, where right-to-work was not even an issue used by Snyder's opponents against him."

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is among the U.S. senators urging the Administration to give full consideration to the domestic steel industry's concerns about unfairly priced imports in a case that the manufacturer says caused reduced operating hours at a facility in Camanche in Clinton County.

"We write to express our concerns with the Commerce Department's preliminary determination in the antidumping investigation of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) imports from Korea," Grassley and fellow senators wrote to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. "This case has nationwide economic implications, and any final determination must be based on accurate data and objective methodologies.  As the Department continues the investigation, we ask that you fully consider the domestic industry's allegations and take action against any unfair dumping to the fullest extent of the law."

The trade case before the U.S. Department of Commerce involves Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG).  These products are used for domestic oil and gas exploration ? especially shale ? and are produced by companies including TMK IPSCO.  The company has reduced operating hours at several facilities, including its facility in Camanche, over "increasing pressure from unfairly traded imports."

Grassley and his fellow senators urged the Department of Commerce to consider all of the data associated with this case and fully enforce U.S. trade laws to ensure American businesses and workers are not harmed by unfairly priced imports.

The letter Grassley signed is available here.

A press release from TMK IPSCO is available here.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa designating this week as National Youth Synthetic Drug Awareness Week.

"Congress and law enforcement work to get synthetic drugs off the streets but cynical manufacturers work all the time to put out new varieties," Grassley said.  "Public awareness is a large part of prevention.  A product sold in a store or online isn't necessarily safe and might be far from it.  These drugs have had tragic consequences in Iowa.  People should know the consequences and stay away from these products."

Grassley co-sponsored the resolution with Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. These states, like Iowa, have had problems with synthetic drugs.  Grassley, Klobuchar and other senators worked toward the enactment of the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, banning many iterations of synthetic drugs, including one associated with the death of an 18-year-old Iowan named David Rozga.

New versions of the drug emerge regularly, leaving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to ban the new compounds using its administrative authority. Included among these drugs is a compound called "5F-PB-22," which was blamed for the deaths of three young Iowans last year.  5F-PB-22 is officially banned, or scheduled, under DEA procedures.  The final rule went into effect earlier this month.

Grassley is Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chairman of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control.

The text of the resolution is available here.  Grassley's floor statement on the resolution follows here.

Floor Statement of Sen. Chuck Grassley on National Youth Synthetic Drug Awareness Week

I am pleased to join Senator Klobuchar in cosponsoring a resolution designating the week of March 9, 2014, as National Youth Synthetic Drug Awareness Week.  The abuse of synthetic drugs has grown rapidly in a very short amount of time.  Calls into poison control centers concerning synthetic marijuana, also known as "K2," doubled between 2010 and 2011, and remained elevated throughout 2012.  Emergency room visits connected to synthetic marijuana use more than doubled, to 28,000 visits, from 2010 to 2011.   In addition, other synthetic drugs commonly known as "bath salts" produced over 22,000 emergency room admissions.

The serious symptoms associated with synthetic drug use range from rapid heart rate, psychosis, and agitation - which may lead to suicide, cardiac arrest, or organ failure.  In 2010, a constituent of mine named David Rozga committed suicide shortly after ingesting "K2" with his friends.  After smoking the drug, David became highly agitated.   His friends calmed him down, and he decided to go home.  Not long afterward, however, he committed suicide.  David's death was one of the first in the U.S. attributed to synthetic drug use.

I worked with Senators Klobuchar, Schumer and Feinstein, along with many others, to place many of these terrible drugs on the list of Schedule I controlled substances.  I am grateful that the Senate and the House worked together to pass the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012.  Our efforts were an important step in allowing the Drug Enforcement Administration to begin enforcement actions against those who are poisoning our communities.

However, new synthetic drugs have emerged since the passage of that law.  In fact, the Drug Enforcement Administration has moved to administratively place an additional 17 chemical compounds on the list of Schedule I narcotics in recent months.  Included among these drugs is a compound called "5F-PB-22," which was blamed for the deaths of three young Iowans last year.   Moreover, in just the past few days, police in Iowa have arrested six people and raided multiple stores in the Des Moines area for selling synthetic drugs.  These tragic deaths and arrests of those pushing these substances underscore the ongoing need to raise awareness of these deadly drugs.

The good news is that people, including in my home state of Iowa, are fighting back against the scourge of synthetic drugs.  The Rozga family has been active in sharing David's story.  They have also started a website, K2drugfacts.com, which creates a forum for other parents, friends, and people who have survived terrifying experiences with synthetic drugs to share their stories and spread the word that these drugs are destructive.  Other anti-drug organizations and coalitions are raising public awareness in Iowa.  For example, a local community group in Johnson County, Iowa called "Iowans Against Synthetics" has raised synthetic drug awareness throughout that county.

The National Youth Synthetic Drug Awareness Week resolution encourages other individuals and organizations throughout the country to continue their efforts to raise awareness about the deadliness of these drugs.  I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.