[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY AND AFFORDABILITY ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2008

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I'm pleased that today the House passed 
H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act. This bill 
makes great strides towards helping our Nation's students and families 
afford college.
  The rising cost of college is making the opportunity of a quality 
education further and further out of reach for far too many of our 
students. In March, the University of California and California State 
system raised their tuition for the fifth time in 6 years. This year, 
students at a school like Sonoma State, in my district, will be 
required to pay nearly 10 percent more for tuition. With recent budget 
shortfalls in many States, including California, more increases in 
tuition appear to be on the horizon. The Federal Government, States, 
and universities need to work together to both control costs and 
provide better access to financial aid to ensure that everyone has the 
chance for a college education.
  This bill will help with both college costs and financial aid for our 
neediest students, and that's why it's such an important bill. Through 
this bill, States will be encouraged to do their part in keeping 
college costs down, and universities will be encouraged to be more 
transparent with important information like projected tuition and fees 
and average financial aid. This will help ensure that students and 
their families are not caught unaware by college costs. This bill also 
assists our Nation's neediest students by increasing the maximum Pell 
Grant that can be awarded and giving more nontraditional students 
access to this important source of aid. In addition, this bill 
encourages more students to go into important fields that serve the 
public interest, such as teaching, nursing, and firefighting, by 
offering loan forgiveness in exchange for their invaluable service.
  Particularly pleasing is the inclusion of three programs that I 
championed and which should make a real difference in the lives of our 
Nation's students. The first is the Patsy T. Mink Fellowships, which 
will provide fellowships to women and minorities to help them attain 
graduate degrees in underrepresented fields. This program will 
encourage more women and minorities to go into underrepresented fields, 
and at the same time, will increase the amount of women and minorities 
who become professors in these fields. Congresswoman Patsy Mink was my 
mentor and friend and was a leader on women's equality and opportunity. 
This program is in honor of her work on the inclusion of Title IX in 
the Higher Education Act and will further ensure equality in higher 
education.
  As a former human resources manager, I know that it can be difficult 
to find workers to fill all the empty positions. Often, applicants 
don't have the necessary skills or background to fill available 
positions. It's critical that we find a way to provide our workforce 
with the skills and education to fill the gaps. That's why programs 
like Bridges from Jobs to Careers and Business Workforce Partnerships, 
which I also championed, are so important.
  The Bridges from Jobs to Careers grant program will provide 
competitive grants to community colleges to improve remedial education 
by customizing programs to the career and academic goals of students 
and making it possible for students to move more quickly through 
remedial classes and to courses related to their degree, certificate 
program, or career. We need to help students realize the end goal of 
their education program. Helping schools improve remedial education 
will help many students get in and out of school with the skills and 
education they need to succeed.
  The Business Workforce Partnerships grant program will encourage the 
development of partnerships between colleges and businesses to work 
together to provide workers with for-credit worksite learning 
opportunities and more flexible schedules. By allowing workers to work 
and attend school, more of them will have access to the certificates 
and degrees that will lead to better jobs and higher salaries. These 
workers will also be able to better fit the needs of our changing 
workforce.
  Thank you, Chairmen Miller and Hinojosa, for your leadership on the 
Higher Education Reauthorization Act. I look forward to working with 
you and our colleagues to continue to make college more affordable for 
our Nation's students.

                          ____________________