We must move closer to ensuring that every Maryland child has access to the tools that will allow them to achieve the American Dream. We can put them on the path to success by providing a top quality education.
I am proud to have helped to champion the Fiscal Year 2008 Labor, Health Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill. We were able to secure $2 billion over 2007 and $1 billion over the President's request for No Child Left Behind programs. No Child Left Behind has existed as an unfounded mandate for far too long. We must provide the resources to our schools and teachers that will aid in educating our young students.
Also, each year, more than hundreds of thousands of our students miss out on college because they cannot afford it. This concerns me deeply. Education is a right, not a luxury-and we cannot afford to allow the high cost of college to act as a roadblock to our children's futures any longer. These appropriations will also make college more affordable by increasing the maximum Pell Grant to $4,700, which will benefit over 5.5 million low- and middle-income students over the next two years.
In addition the bill would bring funding to the following projects in Maryland, at my request:
-- $450,000 to the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Kreiger
-- $250,000 to the Park Heights Redevelopment Workforce Development Initiative
-- $150,000 to the Howard Community College Radiologic Technology Program
-- $75,000 to the Coppin State University School of Nursing
Adjusting for inflation, tuition at four-year colleges has increased by nearly 40 percent in the last five years. That is why I supported and helped to pass legislation that invests $18 billion in college financial aid over the next five years-over $200 million of which will be allocated to Maryland families-at no new cost to taxpayers. This was accomplished by reducing excessive federal subsidies to student loan lenders. This is a landmark investment in Maryland's children, workforce, and economy. These are the types of aggressive investments in our workforce that are necessary for our state and our country to continue being competitive in today's global economy.