The Affordability in Higher Education Act was introduced in the House of Representatives on Oct. 16 to combat escalating tuitions at colleges nationwide. The aim of the proposal, H.R. 3311, is to hold colleges accountable for the increased expenses students and their families absorb as tuition at public and private universities in the United States increases. This comes at a time when tuition has increased 38 percent over the last 10 years ­ almost double the consumer price index over that same period.

The bill would order colleges to explain the factors contributing to the rising tuition if increases are more than twice the rate of the consumer price index and also proposes an action plan for how institutions can reduce the rates of these hikes. Schools that fall in the bottom 25 percent in tuition costs or increase by less than $500 over a three-year period are exempt. Failure to comply with these mandates would result in federal work-study funding withheld from colleges.

According to the American Council on Education, H.R. 3311 would affect more than 1,400 institutions. The real effects of this legislation would not be a detriment to the institutions of higher learning as much as they would be to the students who receive the benefits of the work-study programs. To bar students from receiving financial aid because of the inability to keep tuition costs down is counterintuitive.

H.R. 3311’s sponsor, Rep. Howard P. “”Buck”” McKeon (R-CA), should be applauded, as college is becoming less and less affordable for students and their families, but schools will not feel the brunt of this bill in the same way that students will.