Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1454 - Student Riqht-to-Know and Campus Security Act

(Revised)

(House)
(Towns (D) NY and 113 others)

The Administration supports the goals of H.R. 1454, which would require colleges and universities to collect and disseminate information on campus security, campus crime, and student graduation rates. The Administration agrees that colleges and universities have an obligation to provide effective security against campus crime and to inform students and others about security policies and campus crime rates. Many States are already active in this area. Legislation requiring disclosure of campus crime has been enacted in four States and is pending in twenty-nine other States. The Administration also supports the bill's concept of providing consumer information, such as graduation rates, to potential students to assist them in their choice of a school.

However, H.R. 1454 as currently drafted would inappropriately replace private, local, and State responsibilities with an intrusive Federal presence in higher education. It would do so by requiring (1) reporting to the Secretary of Education, (2)  imposing Federal methodologies that may be unsuited to each school's unique needs, and (3) tying Federal student aid eligibility to compliance. The Administration believes the Federal role and compliance aspects of this bill need more analysis, and these issues should be considered more fully in the Senate and in Conference.