HOUSE BILL: The HELIOS Act (At Final Vote)

[Sirius_]

I agree with Sestak's proposal as 4.0 GPA alone doesn't show a student's ability for reasons stated by him. The system he proposed is more accurate. I also believe that his concerns regarding extracurriculars is valid.

Also, does this need a new sponsor?

[NeverAgain]

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Gotcha, so its just setting additional standards for those $40,000 - $120,000. Apologies, I am slow boi.

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I think that may be an issue, but my worry is that messing up on a test one time will determine the possibility of thousands of dollars in grants for their future education, which could mean the education itself. Many students whose parents are making over the $40,000 limit, may not have access to the SAT/ACT prep, nor the time to drive kids to and from there. I see no reason why this should be the determinant for whether or not a student is able to obtain funding for their education. The disparities caused by these tests are the reason many have moved away from it.

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So what? If they are doing a service for themselves or others, what does it matter if that's done for personal benefit or resumé-building? I do things because I want to do them, but it also is nice to add them to the list of what I have already done. The issue of helicopter parenting is separate to extracurriculars (or resumé-building), whereas these are not interests of the student, they are forced on them by parents. That's not going to change whether or not you have extracurriculars as a focus, which I think adds depth to character, rather than just academic or psuedo-academic achievement.

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And this is only perpetuated with the inclusion of standardized tests into how we fund high education tuition.

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Exactly my worry - that's why standardized testing shouldn't be included with how we judge eligibility for grants.

For this matter, I think GPA requirements are also at issue, as you mentioned with GPA hacking. The goal should be supporting where the kids are going and what they will do, not just what they have done (and may not have been successful with). And that's why I support the Expected Family Contribution aspect of Pell Grants, combine that with a 10 hour work requirement, I think that those would really allow the kinds of students that are deserving of this program to gain the education they deserve as well.

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Not sure what "the keys to federal funding" means? We already give out many Federal grants, so there is tremendous precedent, if that's what you are discussing.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

I cannot believe this has been bouncing around since the start of my 2nd term...

One thing I must ask because it's a bit unclear in the Bill,

does this include trade schools?

Trade schools are also a very important post-secondary education and they can yield higher paying jobs especially in the short term for many Students.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The sponsor of this bill has left the house and thus the bill needs a new sponsor.

[Sestak]

I'll sponsor.

[NeverAgain]

Okay, so Sestak and I have been tirelessly working to draft up new legislation. I will not personally have the time to write it up until tomorrow evening (college tours, finals, HW, etc.). But here is the outline we are working with.

FOR REGULAR STUDENTS (2ND GENERATION STUDENT OR BEYOND) -

FOR 1ST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS -

Also we should add that in order to qualify, states would need to increase investment in higher education over time, and universities would have to prove that the funds were going towards instruction rather than secondary aims like athletics.

Just to summarize the plan:
 - $65 billion to provide two years of tuition-free community college
 - $180 billion to provide grants to regions and public universities for tuition free and
 subsidized tuition programs
 - $20 billion to support for private institutions that help underserved students, such as
 minorities,
 - $30 billion to allow existing student loans to be refinanced at lower rates (0.5%
 interest rate for all who took student loans before May 2018)
 - $40 billion to grow the AmeriCorps and PeaceCorps program and expand the education
 benefits for participating, along with first generation to go to college persons (tuition free, with expanded subsidy as seen with Figure 2)
 - $.3 billion towards expanding teacher grants and programs
TOTAL: $335.3B over ten years

We still have a few disagreements over work or volunteering requirements.

Sestak has proposed expanding the subsidy based on if the student is willing to work, meanwhile I have been pretty adamant about achieving some sort of per-month hourly work or volunteer requiem, with an opt-out option (after being reviewed) that such a requirement will be an undue hardship to the student. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts here before we put it into law.

I will note that the previous incarnation would cost upwards of 550-600B. Our reforms cut that in almost half, while preserving the progressivity of the program, expanding subsidies to needy students, increase the membership of socially beneficial roles like Americorps and teaching, decrease student loan interest rates for those who don't currently benefit from this program, and help out universities and educational organizations serving historically disadvantaged individuals and groups.

Now the piecemeal system currently proposed to pay for this legislation will be gone, as I see it.

My plan, as I have discussed with Madigan and Transit, along with Lumine is to enact a 0.02% FTT (raising 404.9 billion 2018-2027, with $36.4B being raised in FY 2018) of which will pay for this bill, the High Speed Rail Bill (which is 36B over ten years), along with the school safety bill (which I have analyzed from my own non-analytical background guesstimated to be around $.75-$1B in 2018 so like around $9-12B).

Any thoughts or suggestions would be great before I start writing tomorrow and Friday. Exciting stuff, y'all!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'll sponsor.

Representatives have 24 hours to object.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'll sponsor.

Representatives have 24 hours to object.

Without objection, Sestak is now sponsor.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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Who is suppose to do the "inserting in sub clause b"?

[Sestak]

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Who is suppose to do the "inserting in sub clause b"?

I'm shelving this amendment anyway.

[NeverAgain]

Time has gotten away from me, my apologies everyone! Will have this bill, along with my responses to other bills up tomorrow. I apologize for any inconvinience!

[NeverAgain]

Time has gotten away from me, my apologies everyone! Will have this bill, along with my responses to other bills up tomorrow. I apologize for any inconvinience!

I have not forgotten! Sestak and I are finishing a discussion about this, and once he gets back with me I will finish writing it. Tuesday night is College for All Night!

[NeverAgain]

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I propose this as an amendment.

[Sestak]

With the most recent edits to the post, the amendment is friendly, of course.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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Sponsor Feedback: Friendly
Status: Representatives have 24 hours to object.

[_]

I realize Rep. NeverAgain has ran his own numbers on funding, but I'd like to request a review of this by Thumb, just to be sure that it's fully funded.

[Sirius_]

I realize Rep. NeverAgain has ran his own numbers on funding, but I'd like to request a review of this by Thumb, just to be sure that it's fully funded.

I agree with this. Adjustments can be made if need be.

[NeverAgain]

I realize Rep. NeverAgain has ran his own numbers on funding, but I'd like to request a review of this by Thumb, just to be sure that it's fully funded.

I would be more than happy to share my sources for the funding. I get about 400B (2018-2027) and then this bill will be a bit underbudget - I budgeted to be almost exactly $300B over 10 years, instead of $340B I had said earlier. So there will be an additional $100B (over ten years) in the CAF12 of which should be able to pay for the School Safety Act and the High Speed Rail, and still have at least $40B (over 10 years) for Deficit Reduction.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Can we suspend debate on this until we get an analysis by Thumb21?

[Sestak]

Can we suspend debate on this until we get an analysis by Thumb21?

Is this an objection to the amendment?

Personally, I'd support just getting the amendment passed, then waiting for Thumb before we decide to either further amend or pass this.

[Sirius_]

Can we suspend debate on this until we get an analysis by Thumb21?

Personally, I'd support just getting the amendment passed, then waiting for Thumb before we decide to either further amend or pass this.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The Deputy Speaker's question is a critical one, can we have some clarification as to the honorable members intent regarding the amendment, specifically.

[NeverAgain]

The Deputy Speaker's question is a critical one, can we have some clarification as to the honorable members intent regarding the amendment, specifically.

Not sure if this is intended at me, as Sestak's question was to DFW, but I can surely answer. The goals were to: 1. Find a more sustainable and progressive formula for the subsidy. 2. Increase funding for HBCUs and other educational places which help disadvantaged groups 3. Expand benefits to those paying student debt (lowering the interest rate) 4. FULLY FUND THE BILL (and others). 5. Ensure transparency in tuition subsidies 6. Encourage real-world experiences through volunteering or gainful employment.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The Deputy Speaker's question is a critical one, can we have some clarification as to the honorable members intent regarding the amendment, specifically.

Not sure if this is intended at me, as Sestak's question was to DFW, but I can surely answer. The goals were to: 1. Find a more sustainable and progressive formula for the subsidy. 2. Increase funding for HBCUs and other educational places which help disadvantaged groups 3. Expand benefits to those paying student debt (lowering the interest rate) 4. FULLY FUND THE BILL (and others). 5. Ensure transparency in tuition subsidies 6. Encourage real-world experiences through volunteering or gainful employment.

I was basically restating in a for more wordy fashion what sestak asked of dfw.

[Sestak]

Alright if dfw doesn't show up in another few hours I say we declare no objections. It's been over two days since I asked clarification.