Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. JONES. Madam President, first of all, I want to thank deeply my colleague from Tennessee for the work he has done not just with me on this bill but over the years.

This has been such an incredible work in progress, and I am appreciative of all of that work that has gone on. I am honored today to be part of this bill we are introducing that I believe is so important to so many families around the country and particularly in our States of Tennessee and Alabama.

Anyone who has applied to college or helped someone through the process is all too familiar with that dreaded FAFSA form.

As a father with three kids who have gone off to college, I can tell you it just doesn't get any easier. In fact, the free application for Federal student aid hasn't gotten any easier for nearly the 30 years it has been in existence.

Despite the headaches it can cause, it is so important for students to fill out that FAFSA. It is so important for families to have that FAFSA form. It is a key to accessing grants, scholarships, and loans that can put a college education within reach.

Far too often, as Senator Alexander said, it can intimidate people from even starting it. Also, once they get the letter asking for an audit, they just stop.

Currently, the FAFSA is over 10 pages long. Often when I am back in Alabama, I say it is almost like filling out tax returns for Apple Computer or IBM or one of the big corporations. It has 108 questions. That is why I have been very fortunate and honored to partner with Senator Alexander to simplify this FAFSA form to between 17 to 30 questions.

As he said just a moment ago, this has been 5 years in the making, but this is a first great step in this Congress to really have honed this down over the years. We are now going to ease the burden. We are going to reduce the number and ease the burden for verification and make it easier for folks to start looking at it ahead of time.

I appreciate Senator Alexander's comments about the fact that this ought to be able to be done this year. This bill is a wonderful first step in a process that hopefully we can get across that finish line by the end of the year.

Graduating with debt--especially significant debt--can force graduates to put off other major life steps, like buying a house or a car, having children, getting married, or investing in a business as an entrepreneur. The burden of debt can literally change the course of a young person's life and guide their decisions for decades.

Nationwide, only 62 percent of high school seniors completed the FAFSA in 2018. Senator Alexander's State of Tennessee, along with Louisiana, Mississippi, and Delaware, had the highest FAFSA completion rate. Alabama ranked right in the middle, about 26th.

The site called NerdWallet--which I find to be a fascinating name for a site--estimates that the high school class of 2018, across this country, left $2.6 billion in Pell grants on the table--that is billion with a B--$2.6 billion that was available to put kids through school, and it was left on the table.

Form Your Future reports that students missed out on $24 billion in total aid annually. It also reports that 92 percent of low-income households will receive grants and 85 percent of students have a chance to receive financial aid.

The Department of Education's Federal Student Aid staff shared that, from October 1, 2018, through May 31 of 2019, there were nearly half a million fewer total FAFSA submissions--not just high school seniors--in the same timeframe the year before--a half a million fewer. I think there is a reason for that. I think people start, they look at it, they see the cumbersome nature of it, and they just walk away and do something else.

In Alabama, high school seniors, according to the information I have, left $57.5 million in grant monies on the table--grant monies, not loan and debt, but grant monies on the table, $57 million, and only 49.9 percent of the State's seniors filled out the form.

Alabama students might be surprised to learn that they could be eligible for Federal financial aid, including Pell grants that can provide up to $6,100 a year. Not only does the FAFSA help identify what Federal loans and grants a student could receive, but it can also lead to college specific or Statewide scholarships.

The student loan debt that today's graduates face is profound. According to The Institute for College Access and Success, college student seniors who graduated in 2018 in my home State of Alabama's 4- year public and private colleges had an average of just under $30,000 in student loan debt. It also found that more than half of our college seniors are graduating with debt.

Simplifying this FAFSA form can get money in their hands. It can get money that is badly needed. As I go around my State, I talk to people all the time, and they know that not every kid is going to college, not every kid needs a 4-year college degree to do well to become part of that middle class. But for those who want to go, for those who have the aptitude to go, for those who desire to go and get that 4-year or even 2-year college degree, college aid and financial aid is often vital.

Alabama is a relatively poor State. People want their kids to succeed, and to do so often means a college degree. The bill that Senator Alexander and I have filed today will help do just that.

I hope we can get this across the finish line. I believe it is going to help millions and millions of kids, and I know it will help so many families in my State and the great State of Tennessee.

I thank Senator Alexander for working with me on this. I look forward to working with colleagues to get this across the finish line.

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