College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005

COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 30, 2006)

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to oppose the College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005, H.R. 609, and in support of the Democratic Substitute.

Helping millions of Americans reach the fullness of their potential is the 40 year legacy of the Higher Education Act that we are called to honor in the reauthorization bill before us today. Unfortunately, H.R. 609 falls short of fully embracing this legacy, for it fails to ensure that those who wish to better themselves through a postsecondary education are able to realize that goal unrestrained by the shackles of financial disadvantage.

Make no mistake, in today's global economy characterized by competition and transformation, a postsecondary education has never been so vital to so many. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recognized this when it concluded that a postsecondary education will be necessary for 42 percent of the jobs created in this decade.

The U.S. Census Bureau acknowledged this fact when it reported that those with a bachelor's degree earn on average $1 million more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma. The fruits of a postsecondary education also frequently include improved access to high-quality healthcare, housing, childcare, and a host of other social benefits that typify the fulfillment of the American dream.

With limited Federal resources, dramatic tuition increases, and our nation's continuing shift to a knowledge-based economy, the need to ensure that the programs authorized under the Higher Education Act are effective and efficient has never been greater.

Unfortunately, the bill before us would be more aptly named the ``Missed College Opportunities Bill.'' To begin, H.R. 609 represents a wasted opportunity to deal with the $12 billion that was eviscerated in student aid programs under the recently passed reconciliation bill.

At a time when we should be using the reauthorization of the HEA to right the wrongs of reconciliation by redirecting those funds to expand and strengthen grants and low-interest loans, H.R. 609 simply does too little, too well.

More specifically, I am deeply troubled that H.R. 609 does not include a mandatory increase in the Pell Grant, the cornerstone program of federal financial aid.

The maximum Pell Grant award for the last three years has been frozen at $4,050 and its purchasing power has withered away to cover just 30 percent of the average cost of attendance at a four-year public college.

Yet H.R. 609 authorizes only a paltry increase of $200 in the Pell Grant. Moreover, the bill does not comprehensively lessen the college loan burden at a time when the average college graduate now owes $17,500.

The bill also continues to encourage the waste of billions of tax payer funds by not encouraging the utilization of the Direct Loan program, which a large body of evidence has shown to be the more cost effective Federal loan program.

Surprisingly, just months after the President acknowledged in his State of the Union address that we need to expand our commitment in the fields of math, science, and engineering to maintain our economic preeminence, H.R. 609 fails to address this National crisis in any comprehensive manner.

The Democratic Substitute would correct these inadequacies, cutting in half interest rates on loans for low- and middle-income students most in need of help--from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent--starting in July 2006. The Substitute also establishes a Predominantly Black Institution program; a graduate Hispanic Serving Institution program; and, provides additional assistance for tribal colleges.

On balance, there are some features in the base bill that I support. I am encouraged by: (1) the inclusion of Coppin State University as a qualified graduate program, in my district; (2) the authorization of year-round Pell Grants; (3) the creation of new loan forgiveness provisions in areas of national need; and (4) the change in the needs analysis that permits early estimates to help students and families anticipate financial aid eligibility. But these changes are not enough to overcome the bill's shortcomings.

Mr. Chairman, the measure of our commitment to postsecondary education is found not in the quality of our towering words, but by the quality of our actions that help needy students and families afford a first-rate higher education that is relevant in the 21th Century.

By providing students in our Nation with such an education, we help save our children from the clutches of poverty, crime, drugs, and hopelessness, and we help safeguard our Nation's prosperity for generations yet unborn.

If the Democratic substitute to H.R. 609 is not adopted, I encourage my colleagues to vote against H.R. 609 on final passage.

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