[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 137 (Friday, September 25, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           STUDENT AID AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    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. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 3221--the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. This 
bill makes the single-largest investment in student aid in our nation's 
history and will increase opportunities for our workforce to expand 
their skills through community colleges. I would like to thank Chairman 
Miller for working with me to include in the bill legislation that I 
offered to expand the mission of community college computer labs as a 
hub for training our nation's workers. Specifically the addition of 
Section 503 (f)(8) allows funds for community college reform to be used 
for the purpose of ``providing information technology training for 
students and members of the public seeking to improve their computer 
literacy and information technology skills through public accessibility 
to community college computer labs and information technology training 
providing on weeknights and weekends by an employee of a community 
college who is capable of basic computer instruction.''
  I.am a strong supporter of our nation's community colleges and 
believe they represent an invaluable and untapped information hub 
within our communities. By participating in the program set forth by 
the bill and simply keeping their computer labs open to the public for 
20 hours a week on weeknights and 10 hours a week on weekends, our 
community colleges would provide individuals the ability to gain the 
skills they need to move into a new job or advance in their current 
job. Further, to ensure that the time spent in the computer labs will 
help build those information technology skills, the community colleges 
should be required to have an instructor from the college present to 
provide basic computer instruction during those hours. Access to this 
instruction should also be free of charge and accessible to students 
and members of the public.
  In order to provide this access to the computer labs my intent when 
drafting this language was to allow community colleges to access funds 
for the maintenance, administration and improvement of computer labs, 
which includes: staffing facilities; purchasing computer equipment, 
which includes hardware and software; maintaining, repairing, and 
replacing technology equipment; maintaining and securing facilities; 
and providing utilities for the facilities and computer equipment.
  Once again, I thank Chairman Miller for his hard work on this 
legislation and urge its passage.

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