The Associated Students of the University of Missouri

Current Platform Issues:

Each year, ASUM considers student feedback and opinions when setting Legislative Policy for the Legislative Session. The Board considers issues at the August, September, October and November meetings and a final decision of the ASUM Legislative Platform is made at the November Board of Directors meeting. The Legislative Platform lists the issues on which ASUM legislative interns will lobby and advocate in the upcoming Missouri General Assembly.

As soon as the Legislative Platform is set for the upcoming Session, the Board begins to consider issues for the next legislative year.

See Legislative Issues Survey on this site to offer your opinion on issues important to you.

ASUM Sets 2006 Legislative Platform:

ASUM 2006 Federal Legislative Policy related to Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act:

• ASUM opposes elimination of base guarantee
• ASUM supports increase in aggregate and annual federal loan limits
• ASUM opposes a switch from fixed to variable interest rates on federal loans
• ASUM supports entitlement of program and make it mandatory funding
• ASUM supports a year-round Pell grant
• ASUM supports elimination of requirement to complete the FAFSA to be eligible for the Pell grant
• ASUM opposes expansion of the definition of a higher education institution to include propriety institutions
• ASUM opposes the 9.5% floor loan
• ASUM opposes fixed rate on Stafford loan
• ASUM goes on record in opposition to the Solomon Act but not lobby in regard to this stance but will educate students about Opt Out

ASUM 2006 State Legislative Policy:

• ASUM supports extending Bright Flight to students who qualify, but do not attend a Missouri university immediately after graduation of high school.
• ASUM opposes the reduction of the semesters covered by the Bright Flight Scholarship.
• ASUM supports an increase in the funding of the Bright Flight Scholarship.
• ASUM supports the establishment of a financial aid program similar to A+ for four year public universities.
• ASUM opposes any effort to freeze tuition prices due to the lack of flexibility this option offers, but is open to a continued dialogue on tuition models.
• ASUM opposes the redistribution of public funds to private universities.