U. S. Education Secretary Rod Paige today issued the following statement on FED UP legislation to provide regulatory relief to students, colleges and universities, and others in higher education.

"The bipartisan legislation being introduced today is the next step forward to realizing the goal of reducing both the burdens and the costs to colleges of complying with federal requirements, which in turn, will help make college more affordable for all Americans.

"I would like to applaud the efforts of House Education Committee Chairman John Boehner and, in particular, Buck McKeon, chairman of the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee, for their hard work on the FED UP project and their commitment to reducing federal red tape in higher education programs. I would also like to thank Education Committee Ranking Member George Miller and 21st Century Competitiveness Ranking Member Patsy Mink, who remained committed to the project, to higher education, and to our nation's students.

"A year ago, Rep. McKeon initiated FED UP by going directly to campus administrators - the front-line personnel - for their suggestions on streamlining the federal aid process for students, families and institutions. The department enthusiastically joined Congress in a collaborative effort to reduce burdens in higher education programs, by establishing committees for negotiated rulemaking. These committees worked diligently through the winter and spring to review those suggestions that would not require new legislation but could be implemented through regulatory change. As a result, new regulations will be issued in the near future that complement the legislation being introduced today."

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