[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 45 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3206-S3207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Sanders, 
        Mr. Durbin, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Akaka, and Mr. 
        Levin):
  S. 899. A bill to amend section 401(b)(2) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 regarding the Federal Pell Grant maximum amount; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today, joined by my colleagues 
Senators Mikulski, Murray, Sanders, Durbin, Lieberman, Cantwell, Akaka, 
and Levin, to introduce legislation to amend the Higher Education Act 
to improve access to college for low- and moderate-income students by 
raising the authorized maximum Pell grant to $11,600 within 5 years. 
This bill has the strong support of the American Association of 
Universities, American Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the American 
Association of Community Colleges, the National Association of 
Independent Colleges and Universities, the American Council on 
Education, and The Higher Education Consortium for Special Education.
  Pell grants were first established in the early 1970s by our former 
colleague, Senator Claiborne Pell. Pell grants are the largest source 
of Federal grant aid for college students and make it possible for 
millions of low- and moderate-income students to attend college. The 
benefits of Pell grant aid cannot be overstated. Pell grants are 
beneficial

[[Page S3207]]

to individual students as well as our society as a whole. Often, our 
Nation's great innovators and creative minds sharpen their skills on 
college campuses. By increasing the Pell grant, we make a college 
education more affordable, and thus, make it more likely that qualified 
and hard working low- and moderate-income students will attend. It 
would be a significant loss to this great Nation if a generation of 
individuals were not able to earn a college degree simply because they 
could not afford to pay for it.
  In 1975, the maximum appropriated Pell grant covered 80 percent of 
the average student's tuition, fees, room, and board at 4-year public 
universities. In 2005-2006, the average Pell grant covered 33 percent 
of the total charges at 4-year public universities. That's not just a 
drop in aid, it's a free-fall. For low- and moderate-income families, 
the cost of college has also increased as a percentage of income. In 
1999 it took 43 percent of a low-income family's income to pay for a 
college education. In 1972, it only took 27 percent. The cornerstone of 
American democracy is providing all citizens with access and 
opportunities so that through hard work they can achieve the ``American 
dream.'' We must keep that dream alive by providing students the 
financial opportunity to attend college.
  In order to meet the cost of attending college, many low- and 
moderate-income students are forced to take out an exorbitant amount in 
student loans. Upon graduation these students are often faced with an 
unmanageable debt load. Surveys tell us that students with a 
significant amount of debt are postponing marriage and having children. 
Others are choosing their jobs based on where they think they can 
afford to work. Clearly, we do not want student loan debt to solely 
drive our young people's goals and aspirations.
  Over the past several years, the administration has not raised the 
maximum Pell grant. On top of leaving millions of children behind by 
underfunding K-12 education, they are also leaving students behind who 
have done well in school and want the chance to go on to college. If we 
are serious about leaving no student behind--if we are serious about 
having a society where equal opportunity for all is more than just 
rhetoric--then we must increase the Pell grant.
  It has been said that investing in a student's future is investing in 
our Nation's future. We can start investing in our Nation's future by 
supporting this bill to increase the maximum appropriated Pell grant to 
$11,600. This bill won't bring the Pell grant's purchasing power back 
to where it was in 1975, but it is a critical first step. I hope that 
my colleagues will join me in taking this important step toward 
ensuring all that have the ability to excel in college are given that 
opportunity.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 899

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

     SECTION 1. FEDERAL PELL GRANT MAXIMUM AMOUNT.

       Section 401(b)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 1070a(b)(2)) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C);
       (2) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the amount of 
     the Federal Pell Grant for a student eligible under this part 
     shall be--
       ``(i) $7,600 for academic year 2007-2008;
       ``(ii) $8,600 for academic year 2008-2009;
       ``(iii) $9,600 for academic year 2009-2010;
       ``(iv) $10,600 for academic year 2010-2011; and
       ``(v) $11,600 for academic year 2011-2012,
     less an amount equal to the amount determined to be the 
     expected family contribution with respect to that student for 
     that year.''; and
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) (as amended by 
     paragraph (2)) the following:
       ``(B) If the Secretary determines that the increase from 
     one academic year to the next in the amount of the maximum 
     Federal Pell Grant authorized under subparagraph (A) does not 
     increase students' purchasing power (relative to the cost of 
     attendance at an institution of higher education) by not less 
     than 5 percentage points, then the amount of the maximum 
     Federal Pell Grant authorized under subparagraph (A) for the 
     academic year for which the determination is made shall be 
     increased by an amount sufficient to achieve such a 5 
     percentage point increase.''.
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