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Minutes for HB2085 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Creating the students' right to know act to provide information on postsecondary education options.
Minutes Content for Tue, Mar 23, 2021
Chairperson Baumgardner opened the hearing on HB2085.
Tamera Lawrence, Senior Assistant Revisor, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
Steve Green, Opportunity Solutions Project (OSP), explained that this bill addresses the growing problem of student debt which totals more than $1.7 trillion dollars, the equivalent to roughly eight percent of the nation's GDP. The average Kansas student debt totals more than $31,000. Until presidential and congressional action that artificially reduced default rates, student debt was defaulted on more than any other kind of personal debt.
This bill would help young Kansas students by increasing access to important information on the cost of college, other training opportunities, and potential earnings data. Students can take on tens of thousands of dollars of loans with little more than a signature, without any real idea of how to pay off the loan. There are a multitude of opportunities available to young people, and there are ways to optimize the education experience and keep costs as low as possible if a student knows about them.
OSP applauds the work the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) does to make the cost of education more transparent and provide young Kansans with much of the information they need to plan and decide their future. This bill will help get that information into the hands of people who need it and can use it. (Attachment 2)
Discussion ensued. A question was asked if the report would differentiate the wages between a 4 year Bachelor of Science Nurse degree and a two year Associates Registered Nurse degree. Mr. Greene believes it will. KBOR confirmed the report does differentiate.
Proponent Written testimony was submitted by:
Blake Flanders, Ph.D., President and CEO, Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) (Attachment 3)
Seeing no other Conferees, the Chair closed the hearing on HB2085.
