[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4287-4288]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                REAUTHORIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION ACT

  (Mr. KELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Higher 
Education Act, which will be reauthorized today and tomorrow in 
Congress. As the chairman of the Higher Education Subcommittee, I am 
intimately familiar with this legislation.
  This legislation expands college access for millions of American 
students

[[Page 4288]]

by strengthening the Pell Grant program and by strengthening Perkins 
student loans.
  We strengthen the Pell Grant program by allowing Pell Grants to be 
used year round for the first time in history and by increasing the 
maximum award to $6,000, the largest amount in history.
  We strengthen Perkins student loans by reauthorizing them and 
providing a way for low-income students, up to 10 million of them, to 
get fixed, low-interest rates at 5 percent.
  Perkins loans and Pell Grants are the passport out of poverty for 
millions of worthy young students. So do not believe the hype from the 
critics of this legislation. Here is some straight talk: not a single 
student in America will receive less financial aid under this bill, not 
one.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the higher education 
reauthorization bill today.

                          ____________________