[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H2693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HIGHER EDUCATION ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, it is important that the 
House move quickly next week to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. 
As an educator for nearly 20 years, I know the importance of ensuring 
that a college education is within reach for all of our people.
  I represent a district that has a tremendous stake in the Higher 
Education Act. That was made clear in an all-day forum that I convened 
in Raleigh on September 22 of last year. We received recommendations 
from the presidents of our institutions of higher education, from a 
number of students and financial aid administrators and business 
leaders. I am pleased that the bill reported by the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce reflects many of these concerns.
  For example, the committee saw fit to include the highly successful 
State Student Incentive Grant program in this year's reauthorization. 
This is the only student aid program that maintains the Federal 
partnership with the States and encourages them to do their part to 
help needy students attend college.
  The cornerstone of the higher education is the Pell Grant program. 
But more funds are desperately needed to be authorized, and I am 
extremely pleased that the Higher Education Act included a dramatic 
increase to a maximum grant level of $4,500.
  As an original cosponsor of the Campus-Based Child Care bill of the 
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), I was pleased to see its 
inclusion in the Higher Education Act.
  More and more young mothers are pursuing college degrees. For some, 
it is a matter of making the transition from welfare to work. The 
Campus-Based Child Care provision is one of the most forward-thinking 
aspects of this bill.
  I am also pleased that adjustments were made that would allow 
historically black colleges and universities more flexibility in 
funding and expanding graduate programs. Title 3 funding must remain a 
high priority as we implement the Higher Education Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not a perfect bill, and I particularly regret 
that this year's reauthorization does not more effectively target money 
to train teachers in the use of new technology. That is a need that I 
have heard repeatedly about in my district. I am hopeful that education 
leaders in the States will give this need high priority as they 
allocate the bill's block grant funds.
  Mr. Speaker, the Higher Education Act is landmark legislation 
critical to the needs of students and their families and to our 
Nation's commitment to educational opportunity and excellence.
  We face new challenges ranging from accommodating growing numbers of 
nontraditional and mid-career students, to training students for an 
increasingly sophisticated workplace, to orienting education to the 
international marketplace.
  The Higher Education Act will be of great importance as we meet these 
challenges, and I urge my colleagues to pass it enthusiastically with a 
large bipartisan majority next week.

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