National Association of Graduate-Professional StudentsFall 2010 Newsletter–Volume 24, Number 3

The Postgraduate Voice Legislative Action Days

Legislative Action DaysNAGPS sponsored Legislative Action Days took place Sunday October 3rd - Tuesday October 5th. !e event included an introductory meeting and discussion of the issues as well as a pre-lobbying training session coordinated with SPARC and run by professional D.C. lobbyists. !e main lobbying activities included over 50 meetings with congressmen and congressional sta"ers. !is year NAGPS focused on five main issues: open access to federally funded research, the a"ordability of higher education, employee educational assistance, the permanence of specific educational incentives, and graduate student loans. Following are details and additional resources on those five legislative goals.

Higher Education A!ordability and Equity Act of 2010 (H.R. 5078)Eliminates the dollar limitation on the tax deduction for interest on education loans while expanding the eligibility for this interest deduction by increasing the threshold for the phase out

Increases to $5,000 from $2000 the maximum allowable contribution to a Coverdell education savings account

Includes qualified higher education expenses, as defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amounts excludable from gross income originating from a qualified scholarship

Expanding student loan interest deductions and educational savings opportunities have immediate and long term impacts in the a"ordability of higher education

Current tax code places an significant financial burden on graduate and professional students whose fellowship packages do not take into account the net loss from the taxable portion of income

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and Student Advocates for Graduate Education (SAGE) along with 12 cosponsors support the bill

Cosponsor and support H.R. 5078 to reduce the debt burden on graduate students

Links and resources:• H.R. 5078 bill language and current status http://

thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.05078:• NAICU Press Release on the introduction of H.R. 5078

http://www.naicu.edu/news_room/higher-ed-tax-relief-bill-introduced-in-house

• Data Sources: How Graduate Students Finance their Education, 2009, Council of Graduate Schools http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/DataSources_2009_06.pdf

• According to FinAid.org the average debt load for a graduate or professional degree is $40,297 and when the undergraduate loans are factored in that number jumps to $47,503 http://www.finaid.org/loans/

• Proposed bill language to modify the provision in H.R. 5078 about qualified higher education expenses in order to be more inclusive http://nagps.org/files/Proposed%20Bill%20Language%20for%20Graduate%20Student%20Tax%20Exemption%20-%20June%202010.pdf

Employee Educational Assistance Act of 2010 (H.R. 5600)!e bill renders section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code permanent

Employer's tuition assistance programs are governed under section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code which allows an employee to exclude from income up to $5,250 per year in educational assistance at the undergraduate and graduate level regardless of whether the education is job related

!is provision of the Internal Revenue Code is currently set to expire at the end of 2010 therefore immediate action is necessary

Many national organizations and universities support the bill through !e Coalition to Preserve Employer Provided Education Assistance

Supporting permanent inclusion in the tax code provides more assurance and consistency for graduate and professional students pursuing degrees through employee educational assistance programs

Cosponsor and support H.R. 5600 to preserve employer provided education assistance

Links and resources:• H.R. 5600 bill language and current status http://

thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.5600.IH:• !e Coalition to Preserve Employer Provided Education

Assistance http://www.cpepea.com/• National Association of Independent Colleges and

Universities press release about H.R. 5600• http://www.naicu.edu/news_room/naicu-revamps-irc-

sec-127-coalition• Society for Human Resource Management press release

about H.R. 5600 http://www.shrm.org/Publications/HRNews/Pages/TuitionTaxBreakPermanent.aspx

• A study of employee education assistance provided under section 127 of the Internal Revenue Service code (NAICU and SHRM) http://www.naicu.edu/doclib/20100729_Section_127_Study_-_2010.pdf

A bill to make permanent certain education tax incentives, to modify rules relating to college... (S. 2851)Increases and makes permanent the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits

Repeals the termination date (i.e., December 31, 2010) of the Economic Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act for the education provisions of that Act, including modifications to education individual retirement accounts and qualified tuition programs, employer- provided educational assistance, student loan assistance and forgiveness, arbitrage rebates for government financing of educational facilities, and tax deductions for higher education expenses

Multifaceted education bill that would have broad impacts on the a"ordability of higher education

Many of these provisions in the Internal Revenue Code are currently set to expire at the end of 2010 therefore immediate action is needed

National organizations and universities supports the specific provision about employer provided educational assistance through !e Coalition to Preserve Employer Provided Education Assistance

Cosponsor and support S. 2851 to preserve tax provisions for higher education

Links and resources:• S. 2851 bill language and current status http://

thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.02851:• Senator Grassley’s press release about the introduction of

S. 2851 http://grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=24404

• !e Coalition to Preserve Employer Provided Education Assistance http://www.cpepea.com/

• A study of employee education assistance provided under section 127 of the Internal Revenue Service code (NAICU and SHRM) http://www.naicu.edu/doclib/20100729_Section_127_Study_- _2010.pdf

Graduate and Professional Student LoansStudent loan debt is an increasing issue among students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Over the past few decades there has been a steady rise in the default rates amongst graduate and professional students.

An increasing amount of students are being crushed by an occurrence known as debt burden. Debt burden is the percentage of income that must be dedicated to loan payments after graduation and provides a more balanced look at student borrowing.

Currently no federal grants such as the Pell grant exist for low income students interested in pursuing graduate degrees.

Suggestions include increasing federal loan assistance to graduate students pursuing critical needs jobs (i.e. Social Work, Primary Care Medicine, Non-profit Management, Public Service Law).

Supporting Income Based Repayment and Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs is a priority.

Support legislation to relieve the debt burden faced by graduate and professional students

Links and resources:• According to FinAid.org the average debt load for a

graduate or professional degree is $40,297 and when the undergraduate loans are factored in that number jumps to $47,503 http://www.finaid.org/loans/

• An interview on NPR with a Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of finaid.org, about how student loans trump credit card debt in the United States http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129727070

• Policy Agenda for !e Project on Student Debt: An initiative of the Institute for College Access & Success http://projectonstudentdebt.org/initiative_view.php?initiative_idx=6

• Trends in Student Aid, 2009, College Board http://www.trends-collegeboard.com/student_aid/pdf/2009_Trends_Student_Aid.pdf

• Income-based repayment: making it work for student loan borrowers , 2008, Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project (SLBA) http://www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org/blogs/wp-content/www.studentloanborrowerassistance.org/uploads/File/policy_briefs/IBRJULY2008.pdf

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SENATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

LEGISLATIVE ACTION DAYS VISIT MAP FALL 2010

NAGPS Lobbying Training !e National Association of Graduate-Professional Students Legislative Concerns Committee is now providing video access to it’s lobbying training sessions hosted by with Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

Check them out at http://youtube.com/theNAGPS

Legislative Action CenterNow on nagps.org visit our new Legislative Action Center, a website that gives a high level overview to our lobbying and policy platform. A place where graduate and professional students come together to enhance our well-being, improve student life, and support favorable educational laws and policies.

http://www.nagps.org/policy/legislative-action-center

*Benefit coverage for the plan is provided through StudentResources, a UnitedHealthcare company specializing in university health programs. !

NAGPS offers a health insurance plan* to any students (and post-docs) who do not have access to health insurance. Students are eligible up to 18 months after graduation. Along with access to the injury and sickness insurance program, you can take advantage of value-added benefits not found in most individual health plans. The UnitedHealth Allies® discount program and Collegiate Assistance Program are included with every policy at no additional cost:

The UnitedHealth Allies® discount program provides up to 50% savings on a wide range of health-related products and services including dental, vision and wellness. Enjoy additional savings on massage therapy, sports apparel & equipment, fitness club membership and even textbooks. The discount is accepted at thousands of locations nationwide.

The Collegiate Assistance Program (CAP) provides 24/7, toll-free access to a team of nurses and specialists that are there to help you manage common problems and stressors that can detract from academic success. CAP professionals can assist with health, personal, school, legal, financial, and other concerns.

For more information or to enroll in this plan, visit www.uhcsr.com/nagps !

Federal Research Public Access Act of 2009 (S. 1373 / H.R. 5037)Ensure the products from federally funded research are available to the public within six months of publication

FRPAA is important for science in the USA:• Enables citizens to obtain cutting-edge knowledge • Supports science education at college and high-school

levels • Improves access to technical information for small

businesses • Increases the government’s transparency and

accountability

Modeled on the highly successful NIH public access policy

Does not a!ect privately-funded research

"e principles of FRPAA are strongly endorsed by the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable convened by the House of Representatives

More than 85 universities and colleges have endorsed FRPAA, and prominent universities including Stanford, Harvard, and MIT have their own open access policies

Cosponsor and support S.1373 / H.R. 5037 to guarantee open access to federally funded research

Links and resources:• Legislative information on FRPAA http://thomas.loc.gov/

cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.01373:• "e Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources

Coalition http://www.arl.org/sparc/advocacy/frpaa/• NIH Open Access Policy http://publicaccess.nih.gov/• Report of the Scholarly Publishing Roundtable convened

by the House Committee on Science and Technology http://science.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=2710

• Colleges and Universities endorsing FRPAA http://www.arl.org/sparc/advocacy/frpaa/institutions.shtml

• MIT Open Access news release http://web.mit.edu/newso#ce/2009/open-access-0320.html

• O#ce of Science and Technology Policy forum on Open Access http://blog.ostp.gov/category/public-access-policy/

Future Legislative Action DaysIf you are interested in participating in future lobbying trips, don’t see your own state colored on our LAD visit map, have questions about our platform, or just want more information contact our Legislative Concerns Chair lcc@nagps.org.

!ank you for reading the NAGPS Newsletter – Fall 2010

We are constantly trying to improve the NAGPS Newsletter: if you have any feedback,

comments, or questions please contact the Director of Communications at the

information found belowVolume 24, Number 3

Director of CommunicationsPatrick Gage Kelley

communications@nagps.orgnagps.org

Major Topics• Strengthening your graduate/professional student organization (GPSO)• GPSO best practices• Advocacy for higher stipends at your institution• Handling budget cuts while preserving activities• Leadership development• Empowering your students• Skill development workshops in areas you need to run your GPSO

NAGPS Leadership in Concert• Featuring Julia Mortyakova, Piano & Jon Kowalski, Voice•!ursday 8pm - Student Center 307

Exhibitors’ Reception, Dinner & Scotch• Friday 6:15pm - Morss Hall, Walker

Reception & Gala• Saturday 7pm - Ryles Jazz Club, Cambridge