[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24685]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COLLEGE COST REDUCTION & ACCESS ACT: DEMOCRATS ACT ON MAKING COLLEGE 
                            MORE AFFORDABLE

  (Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, according to the U.S. Department of 
Education, an estimated 200,000 academically qualified students are not 
able to go to college every year because they can't afford the cost.
  This is a dangerous trend for our Nation, but it is not surprising. 
Under the Bush administration, prices at public colleges have increased 
by 40 percent after inflation. And under Republican rule, Pell Grants 
remained stagnant for 4 years in a row.
  When our Democratic majority was elected, we pledged to address this 
growing crisis, and this week are fulfilling that pledge by sending the 
College Cost Reduction and Access Act to the President's desk. This 
important legislation provides the single largest increase in college 
aid since the GI Bill, increases the maximum Pell Grant over the next 5 
years, and cuts interest rates in half on need-based student loans.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation will help millions of students across 
our Nation afford a college education without saddling themselves with 
thousands of dollars in debt, and it is the latest example of what the 
Democratic Congress is doing.

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