[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 134 (Tuesday, September 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2335-E2336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           STUDENT AID AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    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 of the bill (H.R. 3221) to 
     amend the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 3221, the 
Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. As the first member of my 
family to graduate from college, I know that the opportunity to go to 
college was the key to any success that I have had in life. I 
understand firsthand that pursuing education after high school can be a 
challenging financial decision. Working families struggle to enable 
their children to go to college, and individuals who wish to pursue a 
second degree must weigh the costs carefully. This bill takes 
significant steps to make college more affordable and to ease the 
burden of debt for those who take out loans to pay for higher 
education.
  H.R. 3221 continues our work to increase Pell Grants to keep up with 
increasing educational costs, raising the maximum grant to $6,900 over 
the next ten years. It invests $3 billion in efforts that improve 
access to college and support students throughout their education, like 
the successful initiatives of the College Foundation of North Carolina 
and the North Carolina Educational Assistance Authority in my state. 
The legislation also strengthens Perkins Loans by making more students 
eligible and keeping interest rates low.
  H.R. 3221 makes critical investments in our historically black 
colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions, and 
strengthens community colleges and training programs to ensure every 
student has the opportunity to succeed in school and gain the skills 
they need for success in our 21st century technological economy. It 
also invests in quality early education opportunities that plant the 
seeds of success for the next generation of college graduates. Finally, 
it makes all of these investments in a fiscally-responsible manner, 
even devoting $10 billion in savings to pay down the deficit.
  I am pleased that Chairman Miller worked with me to ensure that non-
profits and state agencies, like the North Carolina College Foundation 
and the North Carolina Educational Assistance Authority, continue to 
have a role in providing services to college-bound students. Millions 
of North Carolina families turn to these institutions for help with 
college counseling, loan support, and default prevention. It would be a 
tragedy to lose the local knowledge and expertise they provide. Student 
loan reform must preserve a role for these valuable loan guarantors and 
affiliated non-profits, and I am pleased that an amendment I offered 
which explicitly authorizes support for their services was included in 
the final bill.
  As the former superintendent of North Carolina's schools, I know 
firsthand the needs of our school districts for modernization and 
renovation funding. I am pleased H.R. 3221 contains $2 billion in each 
of the next two years

[[Page E2336]]

to help schools maintain high-quality facilities that help students 
learn. I appreciate Chairman Miller's commitment to work with me to 
ensure that we use some of this funding in support of our federal 
responsibility for federally-connected children. In my district, the 
schools in Harnett County and Cumberland County, as well as those in 
the rest of the state, are proud to be able to educate the sons and 
daughters of those who serve and protect our nation. However, the 
growth at Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base under the Base Realignment 
and Closure (BRAC) process, threatens to overwhelm the school 
districts' already strained budgets as they work to make room for these 
students. We have a responsibility to help these schools, and I look 
forward to working with the chairman to support our military families.
  Madam Chair, H.R. 3221 represents a significant investment in the 
future of our nation, and a historic commitment to our students and 
working families. I urge my colleagues in joining me in support of this 
legislation.

                          ____________________