[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 144 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 144

 To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the maximum 
               Pell Grant should be increased to $5,800.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2003

 Mr. Wu submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the maximum 
               Pell Grant should be increased to $5,800.

    Resolved, 

SECTION 1. INCREASE IN MAXIMUM PELL GRANT.

    (a) Findings.--The House of Representatives makes the following 
findings:
            (1) A college education has become increasingly important, 
        not just to the individual beneficiary, but to the nation as a 
        whole. The growth and continued expansion of the nation's 
        economy is heavily dependent on an educated and highly skilled 
        workforce.
            (2) The opportunity to gain a college education also is 
        important to the nation as a means to help advance the American 
        ideals of progress and equality.
            (3) The Federal Government plays an invaluable role in 
        making student financial aid available to ensure that qualified 
        students are able to attend college, regardless of their 
        financial means. Since the inception of the Pell Grant program 
        in 1973, nearly 80,000,000 grants have helped low- and middle-
        income students go to college, enrich their lives, and become 
        productive members of society.
            (4) Nationwide, almost 65 percent of high school graduates 
        continue on to higher education. This degree of college 
        participation would not exist without the Federal investment in 
        student aid, especially the Pell Grant program. Nearly 25 
        percent of all undergraduate students receive some amount of 
        Pell Grant funding.
            (5) In the next 10 years, the number of undergraduate 
        students enrolled in the nation's colleges and universities 
        will increase by 11 percent to more than 11,000,000 students. 
        Many of these students will be the first in their families to 
        attend college. One in 5 of these students will be from 
        families with incomes below the poverty level. The continued 
        investment in the Pell Grant program is essential if college is 
        to remain an achievable part of the American dream.
            (6) Increasing the maximum Pell Grant to $5,800 would 
        result in a $1,800 increase in the maximum grant award.
            (7) Because Pell Grant recipients are more likely to 
        graduate with student loan debt and to amass more debt than 
        other student borrowers, increasing the maximum Pell Grant to 
        $5,800 will help remedy this disparity.
    (b) Sense of the House of Representatives.--It is the sense of the 
House of Representatives that the maximum Pell Grant should be 
increased to $5,800.
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