Heck’s two education bills advance to US Senate

Two bills were backed by U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., that aim to make college more accessible were passed by the House of Representatives on Monday.

Heck, who seeks to claim the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Harry Reid, announced in a news release that the bipartisan education bills were passed with unanimous voice votes.

One proposal aims to help minority students pursue medical school by making it easier for so-called Hispanic-Serving Institutions — or colleges with large Hispanic populations — to get federal money for programs to help college students transfer to health care degree programs. That bill would also make it easier for Hispanic-Serving Institutions to receive federal money to partner with local school districts to start or boost early college high school programs.

Both UNLV and CSN would be eligible to apply for that grant money.

The second bill seeks to make it easier for college students to apply for federal financial assistance using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.

“These bills will provide more Nevadans the opportunity to pursue higher education,” Heck said in the statement. “As the first in my family to attend college, I know firsthand that more education creates more opportunity for students to find employment and success in the future.”

A date has not been set for when the U.S. Senate will vote on the bills.

Monday’s vote comes days after another education bill sponsored by Heck cleared the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. That proposal aims to boost career and technical education funding for Nevada.

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Follow @la__ley on Twitter.