[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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