[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H880-H881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HIGHER EDUCATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2006

  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4911) to temporarily extend the programs under the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4911

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Higher Education Extension 
     Act of 2006''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF PROGRAMS.

       Section 2(a) of the Higher Education Extension Act of 2005 
     (Public Law 109-81; 20 U.S.C. 1001 note) is amended by 
     striking ``March 31, 2006'' and inserting ``June 30, 2006''.

     SEC. 3. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this Act, or in the Higher Education Extension 
     Act of 2005 as amended by this Act, shall be construed to 
     limit or otherwise alter the authorizations of appropriations 
     for, or the durations of, programs contained in the 
     amendments made by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 
     2005 (Public Law 109-171) to the provisions of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 and the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act 
     of 2004.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Keller) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
H.R. 4911.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4911, the Higher 
Education Extension Act of 2006. This bill will provide a clean 
extension of the Higher Education Act for 3 months. This extension will 
allow us to finish our important work on the reauthorization of the 
Higher Education Act and expand college access for millions of American 
students.
  As the new chairman of the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee, 
which is the subcommittee with jurisdiction over higher education, I am 
proud of the work we have done so far in reauthorizing the Higher 
Education Act. We have started the reauthorization process already 
through the passage of important higher education reforms in the 
Deficit Reduction Act. We strengthened student loans and cut excessive 
subsidies to lenders. We have increased loan limits to give students 
more access to the money they need, and we have reduced fees so 
students can keep more of what they borrow.
  There is important work yet to be done. The Committee on Education 
and the Workforce has successfully marked up H.R. 609, the College 
Access and Opportunity Act. I look forward to working with my 
colleagues in passing H.R. 609 to continue building the Pell grant 
program, help control the rising cost of college, and increase college 
access for all students.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. Speaker, this is a clean extension that will allow the current 
programs of the Higher Education Act to continue past their current 
March 31 expiration date. Programs like Pell grants are the passport 
out of poverty for millions of American students. We must not break our 
commitment to higher education. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on 
H.R. 4911, and I look forward to working to pass a comprehensive higher 
education reauthorization bill later this year.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 4911, a 3-month extension 
of the Higher Education Act. And I extend my congratulations to Mr. 
Keller in his new role as subcommittee Chair.
  This, in essence, temporarily extends the last portions of the Higher 
Education Act not reauthorized in the reconciliation package.
  During the 1998 reauthorization, I had the opportunity to work 
closely with Chairman McKeon in crafting a bipartisan bill. Despite a 
rocky reauthorization process so far this Congress, I still hope we can 
build on our previous partnerships.
  Most of the damaging changes to the Higher Education Act in student 
aid have already been passed in reconciliation, which I opposed. That 
action forever removed nearly $12 billion from student aid programs and 
missed an opportunity to reinvest in students already struggling to pay 
for college.
  With this highly contentious and misguided portion no longer 
connected to the reauthorization, I hope we can now move forward in a 
bipartisan way as we reauthorize the few remaining items of the Higher 
Education Act.
  Several good-faith compromises were made in the nonstudent aid 
portions of reauthorization when we marked up H.R. 609 this past 
summer. Yet the bill was far from bipartisan when the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce reported H.R. 609 in July by a party-line 
vote.
  As we move forward this year with my good friend Mr. McKeon as the 
new committee Chair, I hope we can build on the bipartisan spirit of 
the 1998 reauthorization that we worked on together.
  Again, I would like to thank Chairman McKeon for offering H.R. 4911, 
the 3-month extension of the Higher Education Act, and I am pleased to 
offer my support and cosponsorship. I hope that this extension will 
allow the Republican leadership time to work with us to move forward in 
a bipartisan way as we finish our work on the higher education 
reauthorization.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon), the chairman of the 
Education and Workforce Committee.
  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, for the last several years my colleagues on 
the Education and Workforce Committee have joined me in working to 
renew and indeed improve the Higher Education Act. Congress recently 
took an important step toward doing just that. Legislation enacted last 
month reauthorized mandatory spending programs under the Higher 
Education Act and made some important reforms to the law as well, 
reforms destined to benefit students and taxpayers alike.
  Through our efforts, we have reduced lender subsidies, increased loan 
limits

[[Page H881]]

for students, simplified the financial aid process, and provided 
additional resources for needy students studying math, science, and 
critical foreign languages in college. All the while, we have made 
certain that student aid programs operate more efficiently, saving U.S. 
taxpayers billions as part of this Congress' goal to rein in runaway 
entitlement spending.
  It is my hope that the House will soon renew remaining Higher 
Education Act programs by passing the College Access and Opportunity 
Act, H.R. 609. This bill would strengthen the Pell grant program, 
empower parents and students through sunshine and transparency in 
college costs and accreditation, and improve college access programs. 
The measure was passed by the Education and Workforce Committee last 
summer, and I look forward to working with my colleagues from both 
parties to see it pass here on the House floor as well.
  As Mr. Kildee mentioned, in 1998 we worked very closely together in 
reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. And I am certain that we will 
be able to work very well in passing H.R. 609, hopefully in the next 
few weeks.
  In the meantime, Congress again must act to extend the Higher 
Education Act which we have done previously on several occasions with 
bipartisan support. And today I rise in support of the legislation to 
do so once again. H.R. 4911, the Higher Education Act, will ensure that 
vital Federal college access and student loan programs continue to 
serve those students who depend upon them. This legislation extends the 
Higher Education Act for a brief time, 3 months, to allow the student 
aid program reforms enacted last month to take full effect on July 1, 
2006. At the same time, H.R. 4911 also gives Congress additional time 
to complete a renewal of the remaining higher education programs as 
well.
  Each year, more and more American students participate in higher 
education programs at our Nation's colleges and universities. The new 
realities of an increasingly competitive global economy made clear that 
higher education is more important than ever before. That is why the 
Federal investment in the Higher Education Act is so vital. Millions of 
low- and middle-income students aspire for a college education, and we 
are depending on these young men and women to lead our Nation into the 
21st century.
  Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us today is a necessary step to 
keep programs under the Higher Education Act from expiring. Too many 
students depend on this assistance, and we cannot allow it to lapse. 
However, we must remain focused on completing comprehensive reforms to 
build upon these programs.
  With the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act, we are halfway 
there. The extension we will vote on today is a bridge to the balance 
of our work, the College Access and Opportunity Act. I encourage my 
colleagues to support the bill before us today and work with us in the 
coming weeks and months to complete a fundamental reform package so we 
can better serve American students pursuing the dream of a college 
education.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop).
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, let me start by congratulating 
our new chairman, the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. 
McKeon). I am confident that he will be an excellent chairman and he 
will preside over our committee with fairness and bipartisanship and 
with the best interest of America's students and our workforce at the 
forefront.
  And let me also congratulate Mr. Keller on his appointment as the 
chair of the 21st Century Competitive Subcommittee. I look forward to 
working with him as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4911 with the hope that this 
third extension of the Higher Education Act may be the last short-term 
measure we need to pass before we produce an improved bipartisan and 
long overdue reauthorization bill that also reflects the best interests 
of America's college students.
  As many of these students continue receiving their college acceptance 
letters, their families are now calculating how they can squeeze rising 
tuition and expenses into their budget. This is an uphill struggle made 
tougher by the President's budget for education which freezes Pell 
grants for the fifth year in a row, recalls the Federal portion of the 
Perkins Loan revolving fund, and freezes funding for the SEOG program 
and for work-study.
  Students have done their part by working hard and getting accepted to 
college. Families have done their part by saving for college. Now it is 
our turn to help.
  Mr. Speaker, let us pass this extension, defeat the budget cuts to 
student loan programs, and pass a reauthorization that will be improved 
over the bill reported out of our committee that helps make the dream 
of college a reality for America's students.
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4911.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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