Senate Education Committee Ranking Member Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Committee Member Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in announcing a task force on Monday that will review regulations and reporting requirements placed on colleges.
The Task Force on Government Regulation of Higher Education will be responsible for reviewing federal regulations and reporting requirements that affect colleges and universities and recommend ways to streamline the process while protecting students and taxpayers.
“Let’s face it, the federal government has become one of the greatest obstacles to innovation in higher education,” Alexander said. “The stack of federal regulations on colleges and universities today is not the result of evil doers, it is simply the piling up of well-intentioned laws and regulations without anyone spending an equal amount of time weeding the garden first. This task force will help Congress weed the garden.”
The task force is co-chaired by Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos and University System of Maryland Chancellor William Kirwen.
“The tidal wave of regulations and reporting requirements faced by colleges and universities today is stifling innovation and, worse, raising college tuition price tags as schools pass on these compliance costs to students,” Burr said. “This task force will assemble experts and stakeholders to help streamline regulations and reduce the unnecessary burdens on institutions of higher education.“