Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HR 4137) It's been called one of the most important pieces of legislation to affect the higher education community in a decade. The House and Senate passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, five years after its inception. Lawmakers believe the legislation will help make college more affordable for American families who've seen tuition sky-rocket in the millennium. The bill addresses the following: expansion of the Pell grant program for college students, require that colleges to report more information about their spending and fess and the U.S. Department of Education will have more say over the student loan industry. Read the act here. See comments from U.S Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Tom Carper (D-DE) about Congress passing the legislation. Also read this Inside Higher Education story about HEA. 8/1/2008