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Mission Statement

As federal student loan debt grows past $1.6 trillion, it is becoming increasingly apparent that tens, if not hundreds, of billions of student debt will never be repaid. The federal loan program has revealed deficiencies in the patchwork of policies that make up the state-federal partnership in higher education. College costs continue to rise while many students take on debt but never graduate or graduate with a credential that has little or no value.

The NCSL Task Force on Higher Education Affordability and Student Outcomes will explore state and federal strategies to make college more affordable for students and taxpayers, improve completion rates, and reduce rates of unrepayable student debt. The task force will examine the state-federal partnership in higher education and provide guidance on the federal role to inform the next reauthorization of the federal Higher Education Act.  

NCSL Task Force on Higher Education Affordability and Student Outcomes
Co-Chair: Senator Michael Dembrow, Oregon
Co-Chair: Senator Ann Millner, Utah
Vice Chair: Senator Amy Galey, North Carolina
Vice Chair: Senator Mamie E. Locke, Virginia

NCSL Contacts: Sunny Deye (Denver)  Austin Reid (D.C.)  Andrew Smalley (Denver) 

Members by States

Alabama
Senator Arthur Orr
Arkansas
Senator Greg Leding
Georgia
Representative Chuck Martin Jr.
Hawaii
Senator Donna Mercado Kim
Idaho
Representative Wendy Horman
Illinois
Representative La Shawn K. Ford
Indiana
Representative Timothy O'Brien
Iowa
Representative Skyler Wheeler
Kansas
Representative Steven K. Howe
Kentucky
Representative Bobby McCool
Maine
Senator Teresa Pierce
Massachusetts
Representative David M. Rogers
Michigan
Representative Carol Glanville
Minnesota
Senator Omar Fateh
Mississippi
Senator W. Briggs Hopson
Nevada
Assemblymember Erica Mosca
New Mexico
Connor Jorgensen
New York
Assemblymember Patricia Fahy
North Carolina
Senator Amy Galey
Ohio
Senator Jerry Cirino
Oregon
Senator Michael Dembrow
Rhode Island
Representative Rebecca M. Kislak
South Dakota
Representative Mellissa Heermann
Tennessee
Senator Jon Lundberg
Texas
Representative John Kuempel
Utah
Senator Ann Millner
Vermont
Senator Brian Campion
Virginia
Senator Mamie E. Locke
Washington
Representative Vandana Slatter
Wisconsin
Representative David Murphy

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Meetings
  • October 10, 2024, Washington, DC | Final Report Release
  • June 24-25, 2024, Park City, Utah
  • Dec. 11-13, 2023, Washington, DC | The Summit on the State-Federal Relationship in Higher Education
  • June 1-2, 2023, Providence, R.I. 

Sponsors

NCSL Foundation Partners

  • Stand Together Trust 
  • The Pew Charitable Trusts 
  • University of Phoenix 
  • Western Governors University
  • Pearson
  • ReUp Education 

Convening Partners

  • The Joyce Foundation
  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Lumina Foundation

Press Coverage

Resources

NCSL Task Force on Higher Education

NCSL Education Committee’s Federal Higher Education Policy Positions

General Resources

Higher Education Costs and Public Funding

College Outcomes

Value of Higher Education

Student Loans

Additional Resources

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