Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic path through northwest Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from Citrus County. Senator Rubio also met with small business owners impacted by the storm. Photos are courtesy of...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with first responders, local officials, and volunteers in Pasco County. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio meets with Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with Cedar Key residents and homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Rubio then met with members of the aquaculture industry to discuss the impact multiple hurricanes have had on the industry. Photos are courtesy of...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) visited the Taylor County Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and Keaton Beach, an area highly impacted by Hurricane Helene. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio meets with Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett....
After making landfall as a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for Florida’s farmers to receive the necessary resources for recovery. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Florida...
Feigning outrage that college is too expensive is a bipartisan pastime, so it’s refreshing to see a presidential candidate taking the cost-drivers seriously. Senator Marco Rubio is highlighting an obscure network of higher-ed busybodies known as accreditation agencies, and more politicians should study up on how to reform this racket.
“Our higher education system is controlled by what amounts to a cartel of existing colleges and universities, which use their power over the accreditation process to block innovative, low-cost competitors from entering the market,” Sen. Rubio said in a speech this summer. Last week he introduced a bill with Sen. Michael Bennet (D., Colo.) that would test a voluntary certification process for vocational and nontraditional education.
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Sen. Rubio’s legislation would allow the Education Department to add accreditors for innovations like boot camps where students learn to write code. The outfits (probably industry groups) could only bless programs at or above the 60th percentile in a basket of metrics— such as graduation rates, loan repayment stats, employment figures.
The bill also lays out avenues for nascent offerings, and puts authorizers on the hook for 25% of federal student-loans in default. Students would use Pell grant money for tuition, which means the proposal is geared toward low-income students.
Though an excellent start, the measure wouldn’t dismantle the gang of six lording over traditional colleges, where most students are educated, and the broader priority should be untangling aid and accreditation. Colleges submit detailed financials to the feds and could post independently audited statements online, as the American Council for Trustees and Alumni suggested in 2013, as well as program-specific, annually updated data about completion, default and more. This isn’t extra federal meddling; it’s streamlining what already exists.
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