[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 274--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT FUNDING 
  FOR THE FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM SHOULD NOT BE CUT IN ANY DEFICIT 
                           REDUCTION PROGRAM

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE (for himself, Mr. Reed of Rhode Island, Mr. Franken, 
Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. 
Brown of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 274

       Whereas the Federal Pell Grant program has been the 
     cornerstone of the Federal financial aid system since grants 
     were first distributed in the 1970s;
       Whereas during 2010, almost 9,000,000 students in the 
     United States received a Federal Pell Grant;
       Whereas the number of students receiving a Federal Pell 
     Grant increased by 26 percent between the 2008-2009 academic 
     year and the 2009-2010 academic year;
       Whereas when Federal Pell Grants were first distributed in 
     1976, such grants paid for 72 percent of the average cost of 
     a 4-year public institution of higher education while in 2011 
     the maximum Federal Pell Grant covers only 34 percent of such 
     cost;
       Whereas 61 percent of students who received a Federal Pell 
     Grant during the 2008-2009 academic year came from households 
     that earned less than $30,000 and 99 percent of such students 
     came from households that earned $50,000 a year or less;
       Whereas during the 2008-2009 academic year, 68 percent of 
     students receiving a Federal Pell Grant were 21 years of age 
     or older;
       Whereas the unemployment rate for individuals with a 
     baccalaureate degree is consistently half of the unemployment 
     rate for individuals with only a secondary school diploma; 
     and
       Whereas education is a vital part of ensuring that the 
     United States workforce is prepared for the 21st Century and 
     the United States remains the world leader in innovation: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that funding 
     for the Federal Pell Grant program should not be cut in any 
     deficit reduction package.

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