On February 4th, the US House approved a version of the America COMPETES Act that includes the College Transparency Act(CTA), a bill that would allow the US Department of Education to create a federal database to track every student who enrolls in a US institution of post-secondary ed from enrollment to end of life.
The Senate version of America COMPETES that passed last summer didn’t include the CTA, and now the two chambers are hammering out via conference committee whether it will be in the final version. As the second-highest ranking Democrat in the Senate, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin can influence what will happen with this bill. And Congresswoman Schakowsky is serving on the conference committee itself and will be part of the bill negotiations.
Use this script to call today and ask both of them to oppose the creation of a federal student surveillance system and the inclusion of the College Transparency Act in the final version of the America Competes Act.
Senator Durbin: 312-353-4952
Rep Schakowsky: 773-506-7100
Script: “I’m a constituent of {Senator Durbin, Rep Schakowsky}’s. I’m calling to ask {him, her} to oppose the CollegeTransparency Act. We do not need a federal student surveillance system to increase access to affordable college! A lifetime of data tracking isn’t the route to a well-educated workforce and citizenry in a modern democratic society. I urge him, her} to make sure the College Transparency Act is not part of the final version of the America COMPETES Act.”
