Congress Clears "No Child Left Behind" K-12 Legislation

The logjam that has tied up the major education bill of the 107th Congress, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, has has finally been cleared. A House/Senate Conference Committee resolved the last issues in dispute, and the House approved the compromise legislation on December 13th. The Senate approved the final bill on December 18th, and the President is expected to sign the legislation at a ceremony early next year.

Passage of this bill has been a priority of President Bush’s, who repeatedly called on Congress to redouble efforts to get the legislation to his desk before the end of the year. Of concern to community colleges, the bill contains alternative pathways to certification for elementary and secondary teachers. As the teacher shortage becomes more severe, it is expected that more teachers will be recruited and trained through non-traditional methods. Community colleges currently train many of these individuals who chose to switch careers and become teachers. Additionally, a component that the President campaigned on, testing students annually to gauge progress, was included in both the House and Senate versions of the bill. Another element the President campaigned on, providing vouchers to students in failing schools, was not included in either bill, and the Administration seems to have abandoned that proposal.

House Passes Bill Easing Hope Reporting Requirements

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3346, a bill championed by Representative Don Manzullo (R-IL), on December 4, that simplifies the 1098-T reporting requirements related to both the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits. The bill embodies the recommendations made by the higher education community (including ACCT) on how to lessen the administrative and cost burdens associated with the credits enacted in 1997. Representative Manzullo is now seeking support for a companion bill on the Senate side.

Key provisions of the H.R. 3346 include: (1) repealing the requirement on colleges to collect and report information to taxpayers who may claim the student as a dependent; (2) allowing institutions to report either aggregate amounts of qualified tuition and expenses paid by or on behalf of the student or billed to the student; and (3) clarifying that institutions only need to report adjustments to amounts reported in prior years, rather than on all refunds and reimbursements to students.

This legislation would effectively lock in place the relaxed reporting requirements issued by the Internal Revenue Service at the urging of ACCT and others over the past several years.

For additional information on federal issues, contact J. Noah Brown, ACCT's Director of Public Policy, at 202-775-4667.