[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 53 (Monday, March 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1673-S1675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Capito, and Ms. 
        Baldwin):
  S. 883. A bill to modify the Federal TRIO programs; to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, helping students achieve their education 
and career goals has long been a priority for me. I come to the floor 
today to introduce two bipartisan bills. Both are aimed at helping 
students pursue higher education, complete their degrees, and have 
satisfying work lives.
  Prior to my election to the Senate, I worked at Husson University in 
Bangor, ME. Many of Husson's students, for the most part, are first-
generation college students. They are the first in their families to 
take that step of pursuing higher education.
  I saw firsthand the importance of several Federal initiatives: Pell 
grants, work study, and TRIO--programs that are specifically aimed at 
students whose families have little or no experience at all with higher 
education.
  The first bill that I am introducing today is the Educational 
Opportunity and Success Act. It would reauthorize and strengthen the 
Federal TRIO Programs.
  I have been a longtime champion of TRIO. It helps students prepare 
for, succeed in, and graduate from college or other institutions of 
higher learning. I would like to thank Senators Tester, Capito, and 
Baldwin for joining me as original cosponsors.
  Congress created the TRIO Programs because it recognized that low-
income, first-generation college students often face significant 
obstacles to accessing and completing higher education. Our bipartisan 
bill would reauthorize these programs, modestly increase grant sizes, 
and make it easier for administrators to reach students who would 
benefit from TRIO.
  The bill also updates the way that the programs are evaluated and 
streamlines the application process. The bill would also increase the 
small stipend for Upward Bound students. Upward Bound is one of the 
TRIO Programs. These stipends make their college visits more 
accessible. These visits are often the first time that these young 
people have experienced a college campus. And it would create a new 
stipend for veterans participating in the Veterans Upward Bound 
Program.
  The Educational Opportunity and Success Act would also institute a 
commonsense process for correcting TRIO applications that have minor 
errors.
  Now, let me give you a concrete example. In 2017, the Department of 
Education initially rejected dozens of Upward Bound applications based 
on arbitrary, nonsubstantive formatting criteria, such as line spacing 
or font size irregularities. The Department lost sight of the goal of 
serving students and instead focused on whether the formatting criteria 
were followed exactly correctly.
  One of these applications was from the University of Maine at Presque 
Isle. It had used 1\1/2\ spacing instead of double spacing in text 
appearing in graphics in just two of the application's 65 pages.
  Imagine that the application was not considered on its merits at all 
because of a spacing error that accompanied graphics on 2 pages of a 
65-page application. The Department's bureaucratic decision would have 
denied 960 disadvantaged Maine high school students from the chance of 
fulfilling their academic potential.
  After many months of advocacy, I worked with the Department of 
Education. I kept pressing the Department. And I worked with my 
Appropriations colleagues to reverse this ill-conceived policy. But it 
took Federal legislation to move the Department from its bureaucratic 
decision, which affected potentially 960 students in northern Maine. It 
affected students that were in other high schools as well across this 
country. I remember Montana was one of those that was affected.
  The University of Maine at Presque Isle ultimately received its TRIO 
grant to serve those students. The bill that we are introducing today 
would prevent the Department of Education from rejecting applications 
simply on the basis of formatting criteria. This is a commonsense 
reform that will prevent unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles in the 
future. We should be making sure that Federal funds get out the door 
efficiently and focus on the students they are meant to serve.
  I have met so many Maine TRIO students and have loved learning about 
their dreams for the future. One of them is a priest who serves in 
Skowhegan, ME. Neither of his parents went beyond the eighth grade. He, 
through the encouragement of the Upward Bound Program, went to 
Dartmouth and then on to the seminary and is now a priest.
  Let me tell you about another outstanding individual, Jason Judd. 
Jason grew up in Athens, ME, a very small community. Jason said: I knew 
that education was the only way I could escape poverty. Upward Bound 
taught me how to be successful in education and encouraged me to pursue 
my passions.
  Jason is a first-generation college graduate. With the support of 
Upward Bound, he went to the University of Maine at Farmington and 
earned his bachelor's degree. He chose to go into school 
administration. He received his master's degree from the University of 
Southern Maine in educational leadership and earned his doctorate from 
Northeastern University in organizational leadership studies.
  Now, Jason is the executive director of Educate Maine, where he works 
to improve education in our State. TRIO put him on the path to success. 
And now Jason supports students just like

[[Page S1674]]

himself across the State of Maine, a real success story that TRIO 
helped make possible.
  The TRIO Programs have changed the lives of first-generation students 
across Maine and the country, opening the doors to the opportunities 
provided by higher education. I would ask all of my colleagues to 
support this important legislation to extend and improve the TRIO 
Programs
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Cornyn, and Ms. 
        Smith):
  S. 885. A bill to establish a rural postsecondary and economic 
development grant program; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, the second bill I am introducing today is 
the Success for Rural Students and Communities Act. This bill would 
help students living in rural areas achieve their higher education 
goals and connect them with economic opportunities in their 
communities. I want to thank Senators Hassan, Cornyn, and Smith for 
introducing this legislation with me.
  According to census data, two out of three Maine schools are in rural 
communities, and more than half of Maine students attend these schools. 
Ninety percent of Maine's students graduate from high school. That is 
great. But only 62 percent enroll in some kind of higher education 
right away. Unfortunately, an even lower percentage of Maine students 
go on to actually earn a degree or a credential. That often leaves them 
with student debts but without the credential or degree that they need.
  Maine's experience is not unique. Rural students tend to graduate 
from high school at higher rates than their peers in urban districts 
and at about the same rate as their suburban peers, but fewer rural 
graduates enroll in college upon graduation than their urban and 
suburban counterparts. Our bill would authorize $60 million for 
demonstration grants to create community partnerships that help rural 
students access college and career pathways
  Community stakeholders, such as local school districts, colleges, 
universities, regional economic development entities and community 
organizations, would join together to help students and their families 
navigate higher education opportunities and address barriers that too 
often stand in the way to their achievement.
  For example, partnerships could work together to expose students to 
college campuses, courses, programs, and internships. They could focus 
on enrollment and completion rates of rural, nontraditional students, 
who may find that they need additional credentials or who once began 
but did not finish postsecondary education.
  Today, as you well know, many of the employers require something more 
than a high school diploma--perhaps a college degree, a skilled trade 
credential, or a professional certificate. Our bill would encourage 
schools and local employers to work together to put students on 
pathways into the high-demand jobs available where they want to live. 
Several strategies could be developed and tested, including work-based 
learning opportunities like apprenticeships, internships, and a 
sequence of courses on the path to a certain skill or job.
  In northern Maine, the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative is using this 
model successfully to help put students on pathways to academic and 
career success. The initiative collaborates with local businesses and 
with colleges and universities to offer seminars that guide students 
throughout their education. Students can team up with employers in the 
area through internships that give them the experience and the careers 
they wish to pursue.
  Last year, I met, from Aroostook County, a student named Katelyn 
Amero, who came to Washington to talk about her career goals. Katelyn 
hopes to pursue a career in medicine. In 2019, Katelyn participated in 
the Emerging Rural Leaders program at the University of Chicago, which 
provides opportunities for rural high school students to enroll in 
college courses over the summer months. That program has helped put her 
on the path to becoming a physician.
  The Success for Rural Students and Communities Act would support 
dynamic programs such as the Emerging Rural Leaders program and the 
Aroostook Aspirations Initiative. It would encourage other communities 
to innovate in similar ways.
  Both bills I am introducing today would provide critical support for 
students across the country who are seeking to achieve their college 
and career dreams. I urge my colleagues to support both of these bills
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Sinema):
  S. 886. A bill to establish a National Child Abuse Hotline; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from 
Arizona, Senator Sinema, in introducing legislation to support the 
ongoing operation of the national child abuse hotline, which is 
currently operated by Childhelp, a national non-profit. Of all the 
major national help hotlines, the crisis line for child abuse and 
neglect is the only one without a Federal authorization and dedicated 
funding. Our bill, the National Child Abuse Help Hotline Act of 2021, 
would give the Administration for Children and Families the authority 
to award funding to increase Federal support for this important 
hotline.
  Tragically, on average, five children die every day from child abuse 
and neglect. According to the most recent Department of Health and 
Human Services' Child Maltreatment Report, 656,000 children were 
victims of child abuse and neglect in 2019, and a heartbreaking 1,770 
children died--including three young children in Maine. The many 
stresses created by the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the risks 
for vulnerable children, and I fear that the data from 2020 and 2021 
will show a worsening crisis.
  According to the CDC, ``heightened stress, school closures, loss of 
income, and social isolation resulting from . . . . the COVID-19 
pandemic have increased the risk for child abuse and neglect.'' As 
Michelle Fingerman of Childhelp, the current operator of the Childhelp 
National Child Abuse Hotline, details: ``There is a wide range of 
fallout from pandemic anxiety and school shutdowns. There is more abuse 
already occurring in homes where caregivers are melting down from the 
stress, children are trapped at home with abusers, schools and daycare 
are closed, and therapists and other frontline providers are now more 
difficult to access.''
  Despite these risks, official reports to child protection agencies 
have declined across the country, in some places by as much as seventy 
percent. But, fewer official reports does not mean abuse and neglect 
are on the decline. To the contrary, less in-person contact between 
children and mandated reporters like teachers, physicians, and coaches 
is one explanation for this reporting decline. Additionally, while the 
number of emergency department visits related to child abuse and 
neglect decreased in 2020, the percentage of visits severe enough to 
require hospitalization increased. Better access to prevention and 
intervention services can help stop these troubling trends.
  The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is a resource that is 
accessible to children and families across the country, especially 
while many children are still not attending school in person full-time. 
A simple phone call or text to the hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child can 
connect people with those who can come to a child's aid before the 
unimaginable occurs. The hotline saw 11,573 contacts in May 2020, which 
is more than 40 percent higher than during May 2019. Childhelp's text 
and online chat platforms also experienced a significant volume 
increase last year. For the past few years, Congress has appropriated 
$1 million to pilot these platforms, and our legislation would help the 
grantee chosen by ACF expand its reach to more children and families.
  The helpline serves a wide range of individuals in every single 
state--at-risk children, distressed parents seeking crisis 
intervention, and concerned individuals who suspect that child abuse 
may be occurring. In Maine, where one in every 71 children is a victim 
of abuse, the National Child Abuse Hotline assisted nearly 200 callers 
in 2019. Those in need are connected--either on the phone, text, or 
online

[[Page S1675]]

chat--with social workers who can offer confidential crisis 
intervention, information, and referrals to emergency, social service, 
and support resources.
  The National Child Abuse Help Hotline Act would provide a meaningful 
Federal investment to protect children across the country, authorizing 
$2 million annually for the Administration for Children and Families 
(ACF) to award a grant to a nonprofit entity to support a 24-hour, 
national, toll-free telephone hotline. That hotline will get 
information and assistance to victims of child abuse or neglect, 
parents, caregivers, mandated reporters, and other concerned community 
members. This will not interfere with any state-mandated reporter 
hotlines and will bolster those state efforts. In fact, the current 
operator has more than 80 community partners in just Maine alone.
  Mr. President, child abuse is preventable, and the helpline's 
prevention and intervention activities are both successful and well-
documented. Consistent Federal support for the National Child Abuse 
Hotline will improve our ability to reach children of all ages, as well 
as parents or caregivers, during the pandemic and beyond. I urge my 
colleagues to support the adoption of this important legislation that 
could save lives.

                          ____________________