Higher Education Technical Corrections

Floor Speech

HIGHER EDUCATION TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. I rise in support of this legislation, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The House easily passed this bill under suspension at the end of March and, as often happens with the legislative process, when it went to the Senate, a few changes were made. Therefore, we are here again today simply to give final approval to a bill we have already supported, and rightfully so.

The primary purpose of this legislation is to make technical changes to ensure smooth implementation of the bipartisan higher education reforms enacted last year. Second, it addresses a pressing issue facing the Federal student loan programs. And third, the legislation includes a provision to assist students who have lost a parent to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The technical corrections are just that, clarifications needed to ensure that the first comprehensive renewal of higher education programs in a decade can be put into place as Congress intended. The legislation will also help student loan borrowers who have fallen behind to rebuild their damaged credit by making these loans eligible for emergency liquidity measures enacted last fall. It's a simple change that will make a real difference for borrowers who are just trying to do the right thing by restarting regular payments on their Federal student loans.

The other change we are making in this bill is also important for a different set of students, students who have suffered a terrible loss but who have continued to move forward to achieve a postsecondary education. And I'm talking about the students who have lost a parent due to the military action taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Higher Education Act reauthorization bill that was passed by this body last Congress included a provision that would allow Pell-eligible students to automatically receive the maximum Pell Grant if one of their parents died as a result of their military service in Iraq or Afghanistan. The legislation before us today extends a similar benefit to students who may fall outside of the income limits placed on the Pell Grant program but who have also suffered the same type of loss.

Under this legislation, all students who have lost a soldier-parent as a direct result of fighting in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan will be eligible for a grant. The parents of these students have given their lives in service to our country.

A college student who loses a parent in the war loses so much more than we can fathom. These students will not have their parent around to move into their first dorm room or hear complaints about cafeteria food. They will not have their parent's consolation and encouragement to continue even after a poor test grade or a difficult professor. Of course, these students who lose a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan will not have the financial support of their parent in this time of rising college costs and economic uncertainty.

While this legislation does not provide students with the same type of support a parent could provide, I hope it will ease the financial burden of paying for college just a little bit.

The legislation before us easily passed the House once. I hope for a similar result again, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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