Keller's Amendment to Increase Pell Grant Funding Passes Committee

Keller's Amendment to Increase Pell Grant Funding Passes Committee

Congressman Ric Keller's amendment to authorize increased funding for the Pell Grant program passed today through an Education and Workforce Subcommittee. Pell Grants are federal dollars that help America's neediest students go to college.

Keller's amendment to the College Access & Opportunity Act authorized a boost in the maximum Pell Grant awarded to each college student, from $5,800 to $6,000. Keller, who went to college himself only with the help of Pell Grants, made increasing Pell Grants his top priority when he came to Congress in 2000.

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Keller's speech on the amendment follows:

Mr. Chairman, this is a simple amendment to increase the maximum authorized Pell Grant from $5,800, where it is today, to $6,000.

As you know, Pell Grants are dollars we give to low- and moderate-income families to help them go to college. Pell Grants are the passport out of poverty for many worthy young people. I personally would not have been able to go to college without Pell Grants.

When I was elected to Congress in 2000, I made increasing Pell Grant funding a top priority.

Total Pell Grant funding has increased 76% since 2000, from $7.6 billion to $13.4 billion today. An additional 1.5 million students are now able to go to college. And the appropriated maximum award is at its highest level ever, from $3,300 in 2000 to $4,100 today. In addition to the $13.4 billion for Pell Grants this year, we also spent $4.3 billion to retire the Pell Grant shortfall, for a grand total of $17.7 billion for Pell Grants, the largest amount in history.

Today the authorized maximum stands at $5,800, but I think it is important to increase the award even more to show we are committed to expanding access to college education for our nation's neediest students.

Some of our colleagues want to increase the award to over $11,000. I'm sympathetic. However, in light of the fact that a mere $100 increase costs $420 million and the number of high school graduates will continue to reach record levels until 2008, I think this is an unrealistic amount that will create false hope.
Since the Pell Grant program's inception in 1973, the appropriated amount has not matched the authorized amount since 1979. From 1980 to 1994, the Democrats controlled the House, and not once were Pell Grants fully funded at the authorized levels. Since 1995, Republicans have controlled the House, and they haven't hit the authorized levels either - although the maximum award shot up from $2,340 in 1995 to $4,100 today. We should focus on increasing the award to realistic levels to best help our nation's students succeed.

That's why my amendment increases the maximum award to $6,000. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment.

http://keller.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=30542