The House of Representatives passed the College Opportunity and Affordability Act Thursday by a vote of 354 to 58.
The final version of the bill includes provisions increasing Pell Grant ceilings and reporting requirements for both endowment spending and tuition raises and requiring colleges to craft technology-based plans to curb illegal downloading.
The bill was drafted to address concerns about rising tuition costs in universities with high-performing endowments.
"The bill has a number of things that will be good for higher education," said Chris Simmons, associate vice president for federal relations. "At the same time, it adds a number of requirements... and it's questionable if [students and parents] really need them."
An amendment requiring universities to spend 5 percent of their endowments each year-a controversial requirement opposed by many college officials-was withdrawn Wednesday by Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who first introduced it.
Additionally, the bill prevents the U.S. Education Department from regulating the accreditation process to ensure colleges still control how student learning is measured.
Regarding illegal downloading, the bill requires universities to explore legal methods of downloading and technology to clamp down on illegal downloading.
Simmons, however, said he opposes the notion that students contribute disproportionately to illegal downloading.
"We can solve these problems without Congress' intervention," he said. "Congress' solution isn't a solution because the technology is not there and we're a small part of the problem."
A similar bill reauthorizing the Higher Education Act was passed by the Senate last summer. The HEA has undergone reauthorization approximately every five years since it was signed into law in 1965.
The House and Senate will form a conference committee in the next few weeks to discuss differences between the two versions. A compromise bill will then return to the House and Senate floors, and finally go on to the White House.
President George W. Bush has expressed concerns regarding both versions of the bill, but has not threatened a veto.
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