110 HRES 81 IH: To express the sense of the House of U.S. House of Representatives 2007-01-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 81 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 19, 2007 Mr. Wu submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor RESOLUTION To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the maximum Pell Grant should be increased to $5,800.

Whereas a college education has become increasingly important, not just to the individual beneficiary, but to the Nation as a whole, and the growth and continued expansion of the Nation’s economy is heavily dependent on an educated and highly skilled workforce; Whereas 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; Whereas 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; Whereas, 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; Whereas nationwide, almost 65 percent of high school graduates continue on to higher education; Whereas this degree of college participation would not exist without the Federal investment in student aid, especially the Pell Grant program; Whereas nearly 25 percent of all undergraduate students receive some amount of Pell Grant funding; Whereas 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, and one in 5 of these students will be from families with incomes below the poverty level; Whereas the continued investment in the Pell Grant program is essential if college is to remain an achievable part of the American dream; Whereas increasing the maximum Pell Grant to $5,800 would result in a $1,750 increase in the maximum grant award; and Whereas 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: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the maximum Pell Grant should be increased to $5,800.