Senate Passes AAUW-Opposed Student Loan Compromise The Senate passed a bipartisan student loan bill Wednesday that will restructure certain future federal student loans by pegging their interest rates to the market. Unfortunately, while this bill ensures low interest rates in the next few years, rates are expected to increase drastically for future students. AAUW opposed the proposal and urged the Senate to find a real long-term solution that benefits students now and in the future. The House will take up the proposal next. Tell your representative you support keeping rates low now and in the future. Obama Administration Challenges Texas Voting Law Following the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will support a lawsuit challenging Texas’s redistricting plans. Holder will ask the federal court to require that the state submit its voting law changes to the department for “preclearance.” The Voting Rights Act had required Texas and several other states to obtain approval due to a history of discrimination. AAUW plans to work with Congress to develop a bipartisan response to the Supreme Court decision that will ensure equitable political participation and nondiscriminatory voting laws for all Americans. Congresswomen Request Federal Study of Gender Bias in STEM Fields Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether the federal government has made progress in removing gender bias in STEM fields. AAUW Executive Director/CEO Linda Hallman said that action from the federal government is critical to helping eliminate hindrances to women entering STEM careers. The GAO request cites a Yale University study that found male college students and university professors, regardless of gender, do not consider women as qualified as men for employment in science fields.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 11:57:34 +0000
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