[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4278-H4279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HIGHER EDUCATION EXTENSION

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill (S. 3035) to temporarily extend the programs under 
the Higher Education Act of 1965.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 3035

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

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) 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 ``May 31, 2008'' and 
     inserting ``June 30, 2008''.
       (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section, 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), by 
     the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (Public Law 110-
     84), or by the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act 
     of 2008 (Public Law 110-227) 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 New 
York (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller) will each 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days 
during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous 
material on S. 3035 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I rise in support of S. 3035, a bill to temporarily extend programs 
under the Higher Education Act of 1965. At the beginning of February, 
the House took the next step in the reauthorization of the Higher 
Education Act in passing H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and 
Affordability Act. Now we find ourselves in the final phase in 
completing the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act as we work 
towards a compromise bill with the Senate to ensure that the doors of 
college are truly open to all qualified students.
  It is our goal to ensure that a final bill encompasses the major 
issues addressed in H.R. 4137, including skyrocketing college prices, a 
needlessly complicated student aid application process, and predatory 
tactics by student lenders.
  The bill under consideration today, S. 3035, will extend the programs 
under the Higher Education Act until June 30, 2008, to allow sufficient 
time for final deliberations on the two bills reported out of the 
respective chambers. It has been nearly 10 years since the Higher 
Education Act was last reauthorized, and I believe Members on both 
sides of the aisle and in both chambers are anxious to complete work on 
a compromise bill in this Congress, and we believe it can happen.
  I look forward to joining my colleagues on the committee in 
completing this work with the respective members on behalf of our 
Nation's hardworking families and students. I urge my colleagues to 
support this extension.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KELLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of S. 3035, a 1-month extension of the Higher 
Education Act. I would like to begin by extending my thoughts and 
prayers to Senator Kennedy and his family in this difficult time. We 
are all saddened to learn of the diagnosis of his malignant brain tumor 
and we are hoping and praying for a speedy and full recovery.
  I was just with Senator Kennedy a few days ago in the Oval Office 
with President Bush, as the President signed into law the Ensuring 
Continuing Access to Student Loans Act on May 7. Senator Kennedy was in 
a jovial mood and was in good spirits. We look forward to seeing him in 
the same condition in the future.
  Senator Kennedy obviously has played a very integral role in the 
development of this higher education legislation, and I want to 
recognize him for his passion for education and his longstanding 
efforts to ensure that all young people receive a quality education and 
have the opportunity to obtain a college degree. As we extend the 
Higher Education Act and allow additional time to negotiate the renewal 
of this landmark law, I think all of us know that this legislation will 
bear the indelible imprint of Senator Kennedy's hard work and 
commitment.
  Just last month, we were on the floor passing what we thought and 
hoped would be the last extension of the Higher Education Act. 
Unfortunately, while we have made a tremendous amount of progress on 
the bill, the size of the bill and our concern about producing a 
thoughtful product prevented us from completing our work.
  The Education and Labor Committee, I am happy to report, has worked 
in a bipartisan fashion to produce a bill that received strong 
bipartisan support here on the House floor. Chairman Miller and Ranking 
Member McKeon have been leading our efforts to negotiate a final 
compromise with the Senate colleagues. We have a handful of issues, 
however, that remain outstanding, and we believe that we will be able 
to reach resolution on these issues over the next few weeks. Of course, 
there may be some complications outside of our control, not the least 
of which is possibly Senator Kennedy's situation and recovery.
  As we move toward finalizing this broad overhaul of Federal higher 
education programs, our top priority must remain college access and 
affordability. Bolstering our higher education and student aid programs 
has long been a priority of Congress. I know, for me personally, making 
college more affordable is a top priority. All children, rich or poor, 
should have the opportunity to get a first class college education.
  This extension of the Higher Education Act is particularly important 
because it extends the significant and popular programs such as the 
Pell Grant program and Perkins student loan programs. This 
reauthorization is a long time coming. I am pleased to be here 
supporting what we hope and expect to be the final extension before 
this law is finally renewed. I urge my colleagues to also support this 
extension.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, let me first associate myself 
with the heartfelt comments of Mr. Keller regarding Senator Kennedy. I 
know that everyone in this Chamber hopes and prays for his speedy 
recovery.
  With that, I'd like to yield 4 minutes to a fellow member of the 
committee, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
  Mr. WU. I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop) for 
his leadership in education. I rise in support of this temporary 
extension of the Higher Education Act and also rise to associate myself 
with the remarks of the gentleman from Florida. Our hearts and prayers 
go out to Senator

[[Page H4279]]

Kennedy, his family, friends, and many supporters around the country, 
and look forward to his return to the other body as the lion of the 
Senate, with teeth and claws and roar completely intact.
  I also look forward to the new Higher Education Act, which we are 
close to completing in conference with the other body, and the many 
provisions that my colleague from New York referred to. I just wanted 
to point out three. One is a substantial expansion of financial aid, 
especially to the neediest students in America. Second, a late but very 
appropriate recognition of the role of community colleges in higher 
education, and in particular the encouragement of articulation 
agreements between community colleges and their peers and 4-year 
colleges.
  What articulation agreements would basically permit would be students 
to seamlessly go between community colleges, and between community 
colleges and 4-year colleges, because what we have found in Oregon is 
that students study and learn in a different way today, so that someone 
may take a class at a community college in the morning, work, and then 
take a class at a 4-year college at night. We want that system to work 
for the students and want the institutions to work together so that 
students do not need to fill out two financial aid forms, two entrance 
forms, and multiple other forms. These articulation agreements are 
very, very important. It's a little bit technical. But it will serve 
the modern education need very, very well.
  Finally, I want to point out one area addressed by this higher 
education bill, and this is a topic on which my office has received the 
most mail of any topic that we have worked on in my decade in Congress, 
this is mail from all around the country, from college students, and 
that is the textbook fairness pricing issue.
  Sometimes you will find a book in the college book store here selling 
for $150. If you go on Amazon U.K., you will find the same textbook 
being sold, in English, the same textbook in the U.K. for $50. In this 
Internet era, with a highly motivated, highly educated consumer group, 
namely college students, this kind of pricing unfairness just can't 
stand the test of either fairness or propriety anymore.
  We have some minimal provisions in the House version of the higher 
education bill to bring some fairness, some openness to college 
textbook pricing. Currently, students are cooperating, professors are 
cooperating, bookstores are cooperating, but the textbook industry is 
fighting this particular provision very, very hard. I just want to say 
that we will not give up on this issue. We will insist on the House 
language because college students who can make a difference, who will 
make a difference, will insist upon this.
  We look forward to the new version of the higher education bill and 
support this temporary extension.
  Mr. KELLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at 
this time. I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
vote ``yes'' on S. 3035, to extend the Higher Education Act, and 
thereby extend the Pell Grant program and the Perkins student loan 
program. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 3035.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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