Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Issue Position: Education

I am committed to improving our nation's education system for our children.

Federal education funding significantly increased under the Republican-controlled Congress in the past decade. Funding for the U.S. Department of Education increased by nearly 150% from $23 billion in Fiscal Year 1996 to $57 billion in FY2006.

Furthermore, the college cost crisis is real, and stronger action is needed to help more students afford to get a college degree. During the last decade, Republican Congresses tripled student aid, from loans and grants to work-study programs and education tax benefits such as the tax credit that allows families to deduct up to $4,000 in tuition costs each year. I also voted to establish a college costs analysis website for families to make the most affordable educational decisions. I will continue working with my colleagues toward more effective solutions to the college cost crisis while serving as your Representative.

I also proposed the "State and Local Education Flexibility Act" (H.R. 2946) to adopt the recommendations of Nebraska educators to allow greater flexibility and local control. H.R. 2946 recommends common-sense improvements to the federal No Child Left Behind education law.

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