[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 25, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 609) to 
     amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965:

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support H.R. 609, 
the College Access and Opportunity Act. While this bill to reauthorize 
the Higher Education Act is by no means perfect, the bill represents an 
expanded opportunity and a chance to succeed for the hundreds of 
thousands of minority students who dream of obtaining a college degree. 
That is why I plan to vote for the bill today.
  College degrees open many doors to the future. Students that obtain 
bachelor degrees have on average higher earning potentials, more 
competitive jobs, and higher standards of living. But many minority 
students are unable to obtain a college degree because they lack the 
necessary resources to do so, and as a result the doors to opportunity 
often remain closed. Data from 2000 shows that only 13 percent of 
Hispanics and 15 percent of Blacks in California earned a bachelor's 
degree, compared to 31 percent for Caucasians.
  Despite its flaws, H.R. 609 contains key provisions that will help 
Hispanics and other minorities succeed academically from the day they 
enter Kindergarten to the day they receive their college diploma and 
beyond.
  The bill supports minorities in elementary and secondary education by 
recruiting minorities to the teaching profession and focusing on the 
needs of Limited English Proficient students.
  In addition, the bill creates new ``Centers for Excellence'' programs 
that will prepare teachers, including minority teachers, to become 
``Highly Qualified'' in K-12 classrooms.
  Beyond high school, the bill reauthorizes the High School Equivalency 
Program (HEP) that assists low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers 
to obtain a high school diploma or certificate, and it reauthorizes the 
College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) that provides tutoring and 
counseling to migrant students in their first year of college.
  The bill also supports Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) by 
establishing a new HSI grant for graduate degrees and by eliminating 
the two-year wait between grant applications.
  In closing let me highlight some of my concerns, which I hope will be 
addressed as the bill moves through the process to passage. In 
particular, I am concerned that the bill does not invest in critical 
student aid programs on a high enough level. The most telling example 
is that of Pell Grants, which help many disadvantaged children to go to 
college. This bill would set maximum Pell Grants at the abysmally low 
amount of $6,000. I was especially disappointed that Democrats were not 
allowed to offer an amendment to authorize higher funding levels for 
Pell Grants and other student aid and support programs.
  Nevertheless, this bill does provide a much needed single definition 
of higher education and reauthorizes successful programs such as GEAR 
UP, TRIO, grants for alcohol and drug abuse prevention, and the Perkins 
Loan. These efforts to strengthen existing programs and provide 
benefits for Hispanic and other minority students who dream of a 
college education led me to vote for H.R. 609 today.

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