Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and Higher Education Act

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a higher-education funding bill that includes controversial new antipiracy obligations for universities.

The 354-58 vote to approve the College Opportunity and Affordability Act leaves intact an entertainment industry-backed provision, which makes up just a tiny part of a bill that has ballooned to more than 800 pages.

Many Republicans join Democrats in backing legislation to ratchet up scrutiny of college spending and pricing, toughen student loan oversight, and ease aid application.

A run down of various issues being debate over legislation to renew the Higher Education Act.

The U.S. House of Representatives has taken a step toward approving a Hollywood-backed spending bill requiring universities to consider offering "alternatives" and "technology-based deterrents" to illegal peer-to-peer file sharing.

"The House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee unanimously approved legislation to renew the Higher Education Act Thursday — a measure about which college officials have ambivalent feelings."

"The latest salvo in the entertainment industry’s campaign against illegal downloading of movies and music — aided and abetted by Congress — is wrong, and students should help fight it, Kenneth C. Green argues."

"If the Higher Education Act bill that House Democrats introduced late last week did not persuade college leaders that the issue of college prices is and will remain front and center on the federal policy agenda, the House education committee’s consideration of the legislation Wednesday should once and for all."

"House Democrats introduce Higher Education Act bill that would shame institutions that raise prices sharply; 747-page measure would increase federal role in other ways, too - including provisions in which schools would report on illegal file sharing."

New federal legislation says universities must agree to provide not just deterrents but also "alternatives" to peer-to-peer piracy, such as paying monthly subscription fees to the music industry for their students, on penalty of losing all financial aid for their students.

"In July college officials banded together to fight a controversial measure in Congress that would have required some institutions to buy technological tools to curtail illegal file sharing (The Chronicle, August 3). The proposal's staunchest supporters were the members of the Motion Picture Association of America. Mr. Glickman spoke with The Chronicle about the trade group's antipiracy strategy."