Politico Pro: Alexander: NCLB, Higher Education Act, FDA Are Committee Priorities

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander has three main priorities for his committee: The first is fixing No Child Left Behind. Next, he’d like to turn to the Higher Education Act and the third is reforming the Food and Drug Administration.

“That’s the agenda that I hope for,” Alexander said today on the Senate floor. On HEA, the senator said that he would like to “deregulate” higher education. He also said he sees “substantial areas for bipartisan agreement” when it comes to reforming higher education law.

Alexander’s No Child Left Behind discussion draft will be available online tonight, he said. He emphasized that he plans to do what it takes to get some bipartisan agreement on No Child Left Behind as it moves through committee in the coming weeks — but said if it’s not possible to do so the bill should head to the Senate floor regardless.

“The plan I am suggesting here is to set realistic goals, keep the best portions of NCLB and restore to states and communities the responsibility to decide whether schools or teachers are succeeding or failing,” Alexander said.