[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
                     REVITALIZE PELL GRANT PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. McGovern] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to express my 
strongest support for increased funding for the Pell Grant Program. In 
developing a national education strategy and in constructing an 
economic vision for the future, we must strive to ensure that every 
American who wants to go to college can, in fact, afford to go to 
college.
  The tax system is one way of providing relief to families attempting 
to put a child through college, but tax credits and deductions alone 
will not make higher education more affordable for every working 
family.
  As the Boston-based Education Resources Institute has reported, low-
income students need grant aid to help cover tuition costs. Otherwise, 
an entire community could effectively be shut out of the American 
dream.
  As I have met with the presidents of universities, community 
colleges, and vocational and technical schools throughout my 
congressional district in Massachusetts, I hear everyone saying the 
same thing: We need more grant aid and we need increased funding for 
Pell grants.
  These educators understand that students are struggling to meet 
rising college costs. The average tuition in a 4-year public college in 
Massachusetts is over $4,000. The average private school costs nearly 4 
times that amount. In 1980 through 1981, the average Pell grant award 
paid for 26 percent of the total annual cost of attending a 4-year 
public institution. Today the average award covers only 16 percent of 
that cost.
  What happened? The problem with Pell grant funding comes not from 
institutions of higher learning, Mr. Speaker, but rather from a 
Congress that has neglected to keep financial aid awards consistent 
with the rising cost of living. In announcing the recent budget 
agreement, the White House noted that the President's mere $300 
increase for Pell grant is the largest such increase in the past two 
decades.
  This sad reality is an indictment of Congress' failure to truly 
commit itself to expanding educational opportunity for all of our young 
people. While congressional appropriations for Pell grants have 
increased modestly over the last 17 years, the real dollar amount for 
the grant when adjusted for inflation has actually decreased by 13 
percent during this period.
  The Pell Grant Program is the heart of Federal grant aid for families 
in need. It targets those students most likely not to attend college 
because of a lack of funds. These are the children of modest income 
working families and those of middle income families who are struggling 
to send several children to college at the same time.
  Mr. Speaker, President Clinton has proposed raising the maximum Pell 
grant award from its present level of $2,700 to $3,000. But to be 
frank, this modest increase, while welcome, simply will not cut it. If 
education is truly at the top of our national agenda, our Federal 
investment must reflect this fact.
  That is why Senator Paul Wellstone and I have introduced legislation 
to increase the maximum Pell grant to $5,000, bringing the award to the 
level at which it was created, adjusted for inflation. This legislation 
is supported by respected groups like the American Jewish Committee, 
the National Urban League, the Education Trust, the National 
Association of La Raza, the National Association of Social Workers, the 
NAACP, and the U.S. Student Association.
  The cost of increased funding for Pell grants is not prohibitive. 
Last year, the Pell Grant Program totaled $6.4 billion and benefited 
about 3.4 million students in this country. My bill requires about $7 
billion more per year, less than three-tenths of 1 percent of the 
Federal budget. And we should remember that Pell grants pay a huge 
dividend in the form of a more productive, highly educated work force.
  I am committed to balancing the budget, Mr. Speaker, and I believe 
every dollar that the Government spends must be viewed in this 
framework. But balancing the budget is all about making choices. And 
when it comes to investing in our children's education, I am absolutely 
convinced that America's future hangs in the balance.
  On this issue then, we simply cannot pinch pennies. Every American 
child deserves the opportunity to become a productive member of our 
society. As we move into the 21st century, we must guarantee that no 
student who aspires to a college education is left behind simply 
because she or he cannot afford it. An ever adjusting Pell grant fund 
for inflation is one way to avert such a tragedy.

                          ____________________