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SALT LAKE CITY - Senator Lee, Governor Gary Herbert, Salt Lake Chamber, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, and the Utah Association of Counties will host a daylong solutions summit to discuss America’s vast and uncertain regulatory burden that is hindering economic growth, exacerbating unemployment, and making it harder for Utah businesses to succeed.  The summit will facilitate a discussion of regulatory compliance issues states, communities, and businesses must deal with and offer a number of solutions to improve America’s economy through regulatory reform.

Senator Mike Lee, Governor Gary Herbert* and Lt. Governor Spencer Cox will give remarks, along with Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who will deliver a special keynote address in the morning.  The early session will also include two panels featuring state and city officials, as well as business leaders to discuss the relationship between regulation and economic development. 

The media is invited to attend the morning and lunch speeches, as well as the panel discussions.  There will be special seating for reporters, along with access to Wi-Fi.  Live blogging and tweeting are encouraged.  Following the lunch speech, media outlets will have special access to the event speakers for one-on-one interviews. 

Media is required to RSVP no later than Tuesday, August 19, 2014 to Emily Long, 202-224-3904 emily_long@lee.senate.gov.

*Governor Herbert will not be in attendance.  His remarks will be delivered by pre-taped video.

UTAH SOLUTIONS SUMMIT

August 21, 2014

Little America Hotel

Salt Lake City

Agenda (subject to change):

8:00am Registration

8:30am Welcome

United States Senator Mike Lee

9:15am Keynote

United States Senator Tom Coburn

10:00am Local Regulations Panel Discussion

Chris Gamvroulas, President of Ivory Development, Ivory Homes

John Curtis, Mayor, Provo City

Stuart Clason, Director of Economic Development, Salt Lake City

Caitlin Gochnour, Ogden City Council

Maxine Turner, President, Cuisine Unlimited, Inc.

11:00am State Regulations Panel Discussion

Rich Walje, President & CEO, Rocky Mountain Power

Natalie Gochnour, Chief Economist, Salt Lake Chamber

Darrel Bostwick, Bostwick & Price

Bryce Bird, Director, Division of Air Quality, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Derek Miller, President & CEO, World Trade Center Utah

11:45am Welcome

Governor Gary Herbert (by video)

11:50pm Lunch?

12:20pm Speech

Lt. Governor Spencer Cox

12:50pm One-on-One Interviews with Event Speakers

One of the most disheartening trends in America today is the steep and relentless increase in the cost of higher education. As almost everything else in our economy has gotten better and more affordable, tuition at public four-year colleges has nearly quadrupled since 1982.

The hardest hit by these skyrocketing costs are middle-income families who struggle to pay those prices out of pocket but don’t qualify for needs-based assistance. Meanwhile, the changing economy is making post-secondary education more important than ever.

Today, most students and families’ only option is federal student loan programs, which offer some temporary relief but lead to decades of debt. And for students who never acquire the skills necessary to succeed in today’s economy—because they leave college early or because they pursue a major that doesn’t prepare them for the job market—this debt can become overwhelming.

So far, the federal government’s only response to this catch-22 is to marginally reduce the interest rate on student loans.

But instead of asking how Congress can help students pay off exorbitant loans, we should ask how Congress can reduce the cost of higher education so students won’t have to go so far in debt.

It all starts with recognition of two important facts. First, in today’s society, getting a four-year college degree is not the only way to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to start a successful career. For many students, apprenticeships or occupational training programs make more sense than a bachelor’s degree.

Second, in recent years educational entrepreneurs and innovators have used new technology to redesign the traditional educational model—through online courses, for instance—making post-secondary cheaper and easier than ever before.

Unfortunately, federal law ignores both of these facts. Our current system makes it harder and more expensive for students to access alternatives to the traditional college track. The primary roadblock facing these students is our outdated, inefficient accreditation system, which is made up of various non-governmental agencies that determine which educational institutions or programs are eligible for federal student-loan money.

Under current law, students can access federal loans and grants only if they attend schools that are officially “accredited.” But for a school or occupational training program to acquire this stamp of approval—and thus be able to admit students who are paying their tuition bills with federal loans—it must go through a review process conducted by faculty members of already-accredited schools.

This is a classic case of the regulated becoming the regulators. Expensive degree-issuing colleges and universities get to decide who joins their elite club, and they have a strong financial incentive to lock out new, more affordable educational models that could be a better match for some students.

This lack of competition is a primary driver of rising tuition, which gives too many students an impossible choice—crippling debt or limited opportunities.

We believe there is a better way.

We have introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The HERO Act will allow states to experiment with their own accreditation systems. Under our plan, states could choose to accredit alternative education providers such as apprenticeships, specialty schools, professional certifications, all the way down to individual courses. This way, students who have been locked out of the current system would be able to use federal student loans and grants to gain access to the skills they need at lower prices on a schedule that works for them.

Our reforms don’t touch the traditional accreditation system, which works well for existing universities. It creates a new, parallel system that opens doors for the millions of low- and middle-income and non-traditional students the current system leaves behind.

Many would benefit from education alternatives to traditional brick-and-ivy institutions, and we owe it to our students to give states the opportunity to develop these options. The HERO Act is an important first step towards ensuring that higher education is affordable and accessible and gives our students the resources, skills and education to succeed.

Mobile Office Visit to Ivins Veteran Home

When: Tuesday July 29, 2014 @ 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Where: Ivins Veteran Home, 160 North 200 East, Ivins, UT 84738