A new U.S. Senate bill seeks to protect college students preparing for religious vocations from losing federal aid under a new earnings test. Sens.
James Lankford, R-Okla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the Religious Education Fairness Act last week to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to protect theology and religious studies programs at schools that qualify for Title IX’s religious exemption so they can keep access to federal student aid even if their graduates may not earn as much as those in other fields.
The amended law would “provide that educational programs classified as Theology and Religious Vocations or Philosophy and Religious Studies at educational institutions that qualify for the religious exemption under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 are not subject to ineligibility for title IV assistance based on low earning outcomes.” Lankford, who formerly led a large Baptist youth camp, said in a statement that students who feel “called to pastor a church or serve as a missionary should not lose access to student aid because Washington measures the value of that calling by a paycheck.” In July, the U.S.
Department of Education published a final rule that holds college programs accountable for how much their graduates earn. Programs with low earnings outcomes can lose eligibility for federal student aid. Critics argue that because many faith-based jobs pay modest salaries, the rule could hurt many students studying for ministry. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal group that has successfully argued First Amendment cases before the U.S.
Supreme Court, voiced its support for the bill. “Young people who go into ministry are not in it for the money. Their calling is to serve God and to serve their neighbors — and the government shouldn’t punish students who pursue a religious vocation just because, in