Education

Higher education leaders discussed the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision, which has already led to several states passing strict abortion bans, with U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici during a roundtable discussion at Portland State University on Friday, Aug. 19.

Bonamici, a pro-choice Democrat and alumna of Lane Community College and the University of Oregon, said she shares students' concerns.

As the federal representative for Northwest Oregon and a member of the House Education Committee, I always appreciate and learn from my visits to schools and my conversations with students and educators. So it is deeply concerning that many conservative activists have created a false caricature of the public schools I've known my whole life.

College employees and students from around Oregon met up with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, on Friday to talk about changes to Title IX, the federal law concerning sex discrimination in schools, and how the recent Supreme Court decision regarding abortion could affect campuses.

"There's a lot of uncertainty right now because of the Supreme Court opinion and laws varying across states, and our colleges and universities and students need clarity," Bonamici said.

In July, Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick introduced the Streamlining Income-driven, Manageable Payments on Loans for Education (SIMPLE) Act, which is intended to help prevent borrowers from defaulting on their student loans by automatically enrolling them in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. The plans would calculate affordable monthly payments for them based on their income with the promise of loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.