[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 274 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 274

 Expressing the sense of the Senate that funding for the Federal Pell 
   Grant program should not be cut in any deficit reduction package.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 22, 2011

 Mr. Whitehouse (for himself, Mr. Reed, Mr. Franken, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. 
  Gillibrand, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Brown of Ohio) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate that funding for the Federal Pell 
   Grant program should not be cut in any deficit reduction package.

Whereas the Federal Pell Grant program has been the cornerstone of the Federal 
        financial aid system since grants were first distributed in the 1970s;
Whereas during 2010, almost 9,000,000 students in the United States received a 
        Federal Pell Grant;
Whereas the number of students receiving a Federal Pell Grant increased by 26 
        percent between the 2008-2009 academic year and the 2009-2010 academic 
        year;
Whereas when Federal Pell Grants were first distributed in 1976, such grants 
        paid for 72 percent of the average cost of a 4-year public institution 
        of higher education while in 2011 the maximum Federal Pell Grant covers 
        only 34 percent of such cost;
Whereas 61 percent of students who received a Federal Pell Grant during the 
        2008-2009 academic year came from households that earned less than 
        $30,000 and 99 percent of such students came from households that earned 
        $50,000 a year or less;
Whereas during the 2008-2009 academic year, 68 percent of students receiving a 
        Federal Pell Grant were 21 years of age or older;
Whereas the unemployment rate for individuals with a baccalaureate degree is 
        consistently half of the unemployment rate for individuals with only a 
        secondary school diploma; and
Whereas education is a vital part of ensuring that the United States workforce 
        is prepared for the 21st Century and the United States remains the world 
        leader in innovation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that funding for the 
Federal Pell Grant program should not be cut in any deficit reduction 
package.
                                 <all>