Providing for Consideration of HR 5, College Student Relief Act of 2007
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5, COLLEGE STUDENT RELIEF ACT OF 2007
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Ms. CASTOR. I thank the gentlewoman from California.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to act to cut student loan interest rates in half and thereby ease the financial burden of college tuition. Cutting interest rates is more than a cost-saving measure for parents and students, it is also the best means of ensuring access to higher education and, ultimately, a successful career.
This Democratic Congress is committed to making college more affordable for all. As a mother with two school-age daughters, I, like many parents across the country, look apprehensively at the cost of tuition today. Tuition costs have skyrocketed. The average tuition at a 4-year public college is almost $6,000, which is a 35 percent increase over the past 5 years. Today's college students typically incur over $17,000 in loan debt, which is a 45 percent increase over the past 11 years.
Now, last year, when the Republican Congress made it harder for families to afford college by refusing to increase Pell Grants and proposing a $12.7 billion in Federal student loans, I brought students from the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida together to speak out against the antistudent policies.
German Castro, an economics major at the University of Tampa, was worried he would not be able to complete his education without student loans. After all, the annual tuition at the University of Tampa is $18,000, not including room and board. He is working two jobs. He noted many students who have to work full-time jobs end up making bad grades, and bad grades result in loss of scholarship money and, eventually, students have to drop out.
For Jill Mitchell, at the University of South Florida, she would prefer not to have to move back in with her parents and take a job while she is concentrating on her studies.
This isn't merely about financial solutions, it is also about putting our students in a position to succeed.
Now, during the first 100 hours of this new Congress, we are here to change the priorities, to reflect the real desires of Americans. In some of our working-class neighborhoods, student loans are the only means available to pay for the dream of a higher education.
The health of our economy rests on having a highly skilled and well-educated workforce. By the year 2020, the United States is projected to face a shortage of up to 12 million college educated workers.
So, Mr. Speaker, today I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support students by encouraging their efforts to seek higher education. I ask that we pass H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act of 2007. This legislation will go a long way to provide relief to the 5.5 million graduates, making college education far more accessible for families.
Let us act to remind the families back home that we value education and we are willing to fight to ensure access to it.
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