[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 6, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3295-S3296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

   By Mr. DODD (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Collins, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
Lautenberg, and Mr. Johnson):
  S. 725. A bill a improve the Child Care Access Means Parents in 
School Program; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. PresIdent, I am pleased to rise today with Senators 
Snowe, Kennedy, Collins, Murray, Durbin, Clinton, Inouye, Levin, 
Lautenberg and Johnson to introduce legislation which would supply 
greatly needed support to college students struggling to balance their 
roles as parents with their roles as students. The Child Care Access 
Means Parents in School Act (CCAMPIS) would increase access to, support 
for, and retention of low-income, nontraditional students who are 
struggling to complete college degrees while caring for their children.
  The typical college student is no longer an 18-year-old recent high 
school graduate. According to a 2002 study by the National Center for 
Education Statistics, only 27 percent of undergraduates meet the 
``traditional'' undergraduate criteria of earning a high school 
diploma, enrolling full-time, depending on parents for financial 
support and not working or working part-time. This means that 73 
percent of today's students are considered non-traditional in some way. 
Clearly, non-traditional students--older students, students with 
children and students with various job and life experiences--are 
filling the ranks of college classes. Why? Because they recognize the 
importance of college to future success. It is currently estimated that 
a full-time worker with a bachelor's degree earns about 60 percent more 
than a full-time worker with only a high school diploma. This amounts 
to a lifetime gap in earnings of more than $1 million.

[[Page S3296]]

  Today's non-traditional students face barriers unheard of by 
traditional college students of earlier years. Many are parents and 
must provide for their children while in school. Access to affordable, 
quality and convenient child care is a necessity for these students. 
But obtaining the child care that they need is often difficult because 
of their limited income and non-traditional schedules, compounded by 
declining assistance for child care through other supports. Campus-
based child care can fill the gap. It is conveniently located, 
available during the right hours, and of high quality and lower cost. 
Unfortunately, it is unavailable at many campuses. Even when programs 
do exist, they are often available to only a fraction of the eligible 
students. That is where the Dodd-Snowe CCAMPIS Act comes in.
  The Dodd-Snowe CCAMPIS Act increases and expands the availability of 
campus-based child care in three ways. First, it raises the minimum 
grant amount from $10,000 to $30,000. For most institutions of higher 
education, $10,000 has proven too small relative to the cost and effort 
required to complete a federal application.
  Second, the Dodd-Snowe CCAMPIS Act ensures that a wider range of 
students are able to access services. Present language defines low-
income students as students eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant. 
This language excludes graduate students, international students, and 
students who may be low-income but make slightly more than is allowed 
to qualify for Pell grants. CCAMPIS will open eligibility for these 
additional populations.
  Third, the CCAMPIS Act raises the program's current authorization 
level from $45 million to $75 million so that we not only expand 
existing programs, but create new ones as well.
  Research demonstrates that campus-based child care is of high quality 
and that it increases the educational success of both parents and 
students. Furthermore, recipients of campus-based child care assistance 
who are on public assistance are more likely to never return to welfare 
and to obtain jobs paying good wages.
  Currently, there are approximately 1,850 campus-based child care 
programs but over 6,000 colleges and universities eligible to 
participate in the CCAMPIS program. Currently, CCAMPIS funds only 427 
programs in states and the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, the number 
of non-traditional students across America is increasing. As these 
numbers increase, the need for campus-based child care will increase as 
well.
  Just last week in Connecticut, I went to Eastern Connecticut State 
University where I met a number of students who would benefit from this 
legislation. One woman is attending part-time as an accounting major. 
She works as a restaurant supervisor and just gave birth to her first 
child. She is balancing work, family and school. Another woman is a 
junior social work major with two children. Having already received an 
associate's degree, she is now working towards a bachelor's degree to 
increase her competitiveness in the job market. A third woman is 
pursuing her second degree in physical and health education. A stay-at-
home mom prior to re-enrolling, she has three children at home. These 
are the students that need our assistance--hard working parents trying 
to improve their lot in life for the good of their children.
  This is a modest measure that will make a major difference to 
students. It will offer them new hope for starting and staying in 
school. I am hopeful that it can be considered and enacted as part of 
the Higher Education Act. I look forward to working with my colleagues 
to move this important measure forward.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 725

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CHILD CARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL PROGRAM.

       (a) Minimum Grant.--Section 419N(b)(2)(B) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e(b)(2)(B)) is amended 
     by striking ``$10,000'' and inserting ``$30,000''.
       (b) Definition of Low-Income Student.--Section 419N(b)(7) 
     of such Act is amended to read as follows:
       ``(7) Definition of low-income student.--For the purpose of 
     this section, the term `low-income student' means a student 
     who--
       ``(A) is eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant for the 
     fiscal year for which the determination is made; or
       ``(B) would otherwise be eligible to receive a Federal Pell 
     Grant for the fiscal year for which the determination is 
     made, except that the student fails to meet the requirements 
     of--
       ``(i) section 401(c)(1) because the student is enrolled in 
     a graduate or first professional course of study; or
       ``(ii) section 484(a)(5) because the student is in the 
     United States for a temporary purpose.''.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 419N(g) of 
     such Act is amended by striking ``$45,000,000 for fiscal year 
     1999'' and inserting ``$75,000,000 for fiscal year 2006''.
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