College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005

COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005 -- (Extensions of Remarks - April 03, 2006)

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 609) to amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965:

* Ms. DELAURO. Mr. Chairman, only 2 months after Congress cut $12 billion in student loan assistance, this Republican majority wants the American people to understand how much they appreciate the vital connection between higher education and solving the most pressing problems of our communities and the country.

* But let me be clear--they don't. If this majority understood the extent to which access to a quality education is inseparable from our economic prosperity, national security, and civic health, they would not be failing to make college loans more affordable with this bill. If this misguided majority believed that a quality college degree were the cornerstone of the American dream, opening the door to job opportunity and professional fulfillment, they would not be freezing the authorized level of the maximum Pell Grant at just $200 above current levels through 2013. As if the cost of college will only rise by $200 in the next 7 years--over the next two decades, the cost of a public university is expected to rise to $50,000 for a public university and more than a quarter million dollars for a private school.

* When this historic law was first passed in 1965, President Johnson promised that, ``a high school senior anywhere in this great land of ours can apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 states and not be turned away because his family is poor.'' This legislation turns its back on that commitment, Mr. Chairman.

* And so, the American people should see this legislation for what it is--not only a missed opportunity but also an assault on America's middle-class and a grave threat to our global competitiveness. Indeed, one recent international test involving mathematical understanding found that American students finished in 27th place among the nations participating. This as low-wage employers are creating the bulk of our new jobs--in one recent period, Wal-Mart and McDonald's created 44 percent of all new jobs.

* If the Republican majority in this Congress was serious about strengthening our higher education system, this legislation would have adopted some of the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm--one of the central recommendations of which was to make American universities the most attractive setting in which to study and get a degree.

* In contrast to this legislation, the Democratic substitute would cut interest rates in half for the borrowers most in need--effectively lowering the cost of college by $2.4 billion for students and their families. Our substitute would offer the 3.4 percent fixed interest rate to students who take out subsidized loans this year. And it would incentivize service in the fields of nursing, for three teachers in bilingual and low-income communities, librarians, and first responders.

* Mr. Chairman, the critical role colleges and universities played in the last century's economy will pale in comparison to the role they will play in this century's. And this legislation should recognize that--not turn back the clock on access and affordability.

http://thomas.loc.gov/