[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 132 (Thursday, September 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           STUDENT AID AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3221) to 
     amend the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Chair, I rise to express my support for H.R. 3221, 
and to express my gratitude to Chairman Miller for including in this 
bill a very important section to close gaps in college degree 
attainment and completion.
  Section 783 of the bill, which provides for innovation in college 
access and completion national activities, authorizes the Secretary of 
Education to award grants to innovative programs that improve student 
outcomes for college bound students.
  In 2007, only 27.8 percent of college freshmen, or roughly one-
fourth, went on to complete their degrees. In the highly competitive 
21st century, America can little afford to fall behind in the 
technology curve; today, China graduates eight times as many 
engineering students as us, and India five times more.
  We have an abundance of bright students in this country, and by 
increasing the number of individuals with postsecondary degrees, any 
expenditure we make towards that end will be returned many times over 
as these graduates enter the work force and start contributing to what 
is already the world's largest and most advanced economy.
  In June, I introduced H.R. 3259, to establish grants for college 
success and completion. My bill, coauthored with Representative 
Reichert, would encourage and help students from low-income and 
disadvantaged families attend college. This group of Americans 
represents the last great untapped source of American brainpower, as 
only 6 percent of them are expected to earn a bachelor's degree by age 
24--seven and a half times smaller than the expected graduation rates 
of students from wealthy backgrounds.
  I urge passage of H.R. 3221, and encourage my colleagues to continue 
investing in America's future by cosponsoring H.R. 3259.

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