House Debates College Opportunity and Affordability Act
The legislation would: encourage colleges to rein in price increases and provide consumers with helpful information; restore integrity and accountability to the student loan programs; simplify the federal student aid application process; make textbook costs more manageable; expand college access and support for low-income and minority students; increase college aid and support for veterans and military families; ensure equal college opportunities for students with disabilities; boost campus safety and disaster readiness plans; encourage colleges to adopt sustainable and energy-efficient practices; and strengthen our workforce and our competitiveness.
Read further details in our current legislation section >>
Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel spoke in favor:
| Rep. Emanuel: "If a company is applying for an Export-Import loan from the government, it's 13 questions, a page long. But a kid going to college, his parents have to fill out over 100 questions. Let me read you some of the questions: Go to page 8 and complete the columns on the left of Worksheets A, B, and C. Enter the student (and spouse) totals in questions 44, 45, and 46, respectively. Worksheet B (first of 12 items): Payments to tax-deferred pension and savings plans (paid directly or withheld from earnings), including, but not limited to, amounts reported on the W-2 Form in Boxes 12a through 12d, codes D, E, F, G, H, and S. If you can fill that out, skip college, go to graduate school. Now thankfully to the chairman, we've now put in here, to streamline this and create an EZ Form, so this is not one of the leading causes of divorce in America, the college aid plan." |
Rep. Rob Andrews (NJ-01) speaks in favor:
| Rep. Andrews: "In the global economic competition, the difference between winning and losing is having skilled workers or not having skilled workers. This bill takes a major step forward in making sure that we have skilled workers. That America puts its best team on the field at all times. There's two specific areas I commend the leadership of the committee for including in this bill. First it has to do with autistic men and women. A lot of autistic children make great strides in their lives and they become very able, very empowered people. But then they graduate from high school and they age out of their education. And the supportive, intensive learning environment that they need is very often no longer there. This bill has provisions to help establish residential, high-quality, post-secondary education programs for autistic men and for autistic women. This bill says to the men and women who wear the military uniform of our country that when they come back to campus they will be welcome..." |
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) speaks in favor:
| Rep. Shea-Porter: "This year, we have continued our commitment to the poor and to the middle class by expanding college access. College loans are getting more expensive. By working, and through student loans, I was able to attend college full-time, but today many students can only attend part-time because of financial or family obligations. They also have to attend summer sessions so they can get through college more quickly. This legislation will help them by expanding Pell Grant eligiblity for these part-time year-round students. One of this Congress' priorities is to make it easier to earn a college education. This legislation honors our commitment..." |
Rep. Patrick Murphy (PA-08) speaks in favor of the bill and his amendment to put a "sticker price" on college tuition:
| Rep. Murphy: "Mr. Speaker, this amendment is about planning and predictability. With this measure, students and families will know how much their education is going to cost from the start... and that means fewer surprise tuition hikes and plenty of time to plan financially. We not only give parents and students the time they need, but we also give colleges and universities options and incentives for helping kids plan for and to afford college." |
Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20) speaks in favor of the bill and his amendment to put a "sticker price" on college tuition:
| Rep. Gillibrand: "On March 2, 1998, Suzanne Lyall, a 19-year-old sophomore at SUNY Albany was kidnapped and never seen again. Nearly 10 years later her case remains unsolved. My amendment is intended to prevent more parents from experiencing the pain that Suzanne's parents, Doug and Mary, must face every day. The amendment that I'm offering would ensure that all institutions of higher education have a standing policy outlining the roles and responsibilities for campus, local, and state law enforcement agencies if a violent crime happens to occur on campus..." |
