Understanding Higher Education Bill Success in the U.S. Congress

• In Event: Gaining, Sustaining, and Analyzing Legislative Impact on Postsecondary Education

Abstract

The purpose of this comparative case study was to understand why some federal higher education bills have been successfully enacted while others, including some with bipartisan support, have not. This study examined six federal higher education bills – including two that would have reauthorized the Higher Education Act (HEA) and four others that sought to amend the HEA – for the purpose of understanding the common characteristics of successfully enacted federal higher education legislation and the common characteristics of unenacted federal higher education legislation. Findings from this study illuminate factors that make the passage of higher education policies more likely and may help forge a pathway toward more effective legislating in the federal higher education policy space.

Author

• Rebecca S. Natow, Hofstra University