WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) sent a letter to Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, to urge the committee to include workforce development programs in any reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).

“Each week, we hear from Idaho’s employers about their need for more qualified, skilled workers to meet the demands of our state’s growing economy,” the senators wrote. “Any reauthorization of the HEA must include provisions that expand access to career and technical education and make federal higher education programs more flexible for the next generation of students; therefore, we support efforts to expand Pell eligibility to students in short-term programs.”

Background: The Higher Education Act is the federal law that governs the administration of federal higher education programs. Since its enactment in 1965, the law has failed to keep up with the evolving needs of students. There is broad, bipartisan support in Congress for a reauthorization of the HEA that supports student access and completion and strengthens workforce development.

To read the letter, click here.

# # #