[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              PELL GRANTS

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, in his State of the Union address last 
week, the President of the United States discussed his plan to make 
college more affordable and more accessible to working families by 
increasing funding for Pell grants.
  Pell grants serve as the very foundation of student aid for low- and 
middle-income families. The President's proposal would raise the 
maximum Pell grant award to $3,000 and would raise the total number of 
Pell grant recipients to over 4 million.
  Mr. Speaker, I promised the people of Massachusetts that the first 
bill that I introduced in this House would make college more affordable 
for working families. This month I intend to keep that promise.

                              {time}  1015

  I will be introducing a bill that expands the President's proposal 
and expands the maximum Pell grant award to $5,000, bringing the award 
to the level at which it was created, adjusted for inflation. More 
students will be eligible for larger awards, giving more families the 
chance to send their kids to college and to realize the American dream.
  I thank the President of the United States for his leadership on this 
issue, and I ask my colleagues to join me in making education more 
affordable and in making our children's future even more bright.

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