NH senator eyes for-profit colleges that target veterans

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A Democratic senator from New Hampshire said Sunday she wants to prevent for-profit colleges from exploiting veterans and service members.

Sen. Maggie Hassan said her proposal would help stop aggressive recruiting of veterans, service members and their families by the colleges. The proposal would prevent the colleges from receiving more than 85% of their revenue from the federal government.

Hassan and other senators have said for-profit colleges have seen increased enrollment in the wake of economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She said the government "must do more to hold these institutions accountable and help ensure that students are protected from their predatory practices.'ť

Hassan's office said current law means 'œfor-profit colleges can receive an unlimited percentage of their revenue directly from federal taxpayers by enrolling large numbers of these students.'ť That's because programs such as the U.S. Department of Defense's tuition assistance funds don't count toward the amount of money the colleges can receive from the federal government. Hassan's proposal would also change that.

Hassan is working with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and others on the proposal.