Extending District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999

Floor Speech

EXTENDING DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE ACCESS ACT OF 1999 -- (House of Representatives - May 14, 2007)

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1124) to extend the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999.

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois?

There was no objection.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1124, the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999, will reauthorize funding for the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant, the DCTAG program, which will help promote higher education for high school graduates in the District of Columbia.

DCTAG provides grants for District high school students to attend public colleges and universities nationwide at in-state tuition rates. Additionally, the bill provides smaller grants for District students to attend private institutions in the D.C. metropolitan area and to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide.

The impact of this legislation on the community and in the lives of the students who receive the grants cannot be minimized. DCTAG reaches students and communities where there is no hope of being able to obtain a college education. This is particularly true for many of the students that participate in DCTAG. Fifty-eight percent of the students who participate in the program come from low-income households.

Furthermore, students that participate are attending educational institutions that are known to nurture students of color. Five of the top 10 schools these students attend are HBCUs: Hampton University, Morehouse College, Virginia Union University, St. Augustine's College, and Bennett College.

While students from all races participate in the program and attend over 270 institutions in 47 States, including nationally recognized public institutions like the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the University of Illinois, the University of California-Berkeley, and Ohio State University, this program serves a community that is lacking resources for students of color from low-income households.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the ranking minority member, Representative Tom Davis, and, of course, the distinguished gentlewoman from the District of Columbia for introducing and championing this legislation.

I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, simply to close, let me just suggest that with more than 500,000 individuals who live in the District of Columbia, and they've only got one public institution of higher education, the University of the District of Columbia, one could really say that this program provides a level of equity that is a level playing field, and somwhat equal opportunity given the fact that it is not a State. For the young people who live in the District, it is an excellent program. I would urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of it.

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