[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13773-13774]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      EXTENSION OF PROGRAMS UNDER THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 3180) to temporarily extend the 
programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 3180

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) Extension of Programs.--Section 2(a) of the Higher 
     Education Extension Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-81; 20 U.S.C. 
     1001 note) is amended by striking ``June 30, 2008'' and 
     inserting ``July 31, 2008''.
       (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section, or in 
     the Higher Education Extension Act of 2005 as amended by this 
     Act, shall be construed to limit or otherwise alter the 
     authorizations of appropriations for, or the durations of, 
     programs contained in the amendments made by the Higher 
     Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-171), by 
     the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (Public Law 110-
     84), or by the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act 
     of 2008 (Public Law 110-227) to the provisions of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 and the Taxpayer-Teacher Protection Act 
     of 2004.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. George Miller) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
McKeon) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. George 
Miller).
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of 
S. 3180, a bill to temporarily extend programs under the Higher 
Education Act of 1965.
  At the beginning of February, the House took steps to reauthorize the 
Higher Education Act in passing H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and 
Affordability Act. We now find ourselves in the near final phase of 
completing the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act as we work 
toward a compromise bill with the Senate to ensure

[[Page 13774]]

that the doors of college are truly open to all qualified students.
  It is our goal to ensure that a final bill encompasses the major 
issues addressed in H.R. 4137, including skyrocketing college prices, a 
needlessly complicated student aid application process, and predatory 
tactics by student lenders.
  The bill under consideration today, S. 3180, will extend the programs 
under the Higher Education Act until July 31, 2008, to allow sufficient 
time for final deliberations on the two bills reported out of the 
respective Chambers.
  It has been nearly 10 years since the Higher Education Act was last 
reauthorized, and I believe the Members on both sides of the aisle and 
in both Chambers are anxious to complete the work on this bill in this 
Congress. We believe it can happen.
  I look forward to joining my colleagues on the committees in both the 
House and the Senate in completing our work on behalf of this Nation's 
hardworking families and students.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McKEON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of S. 3180, a bill to temporarily extend the Higher 
Education Act of 1965. This bill will provide a clean extension of the 
Higher Education Act for 1 more month as we continue to work with our 
Senate colleagues to hammer out a conference agreement.
  The underlying reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is long 
overdue. Since 2003 Congress has passed twelve extensions, two 
reconciliation bills, an emergency student loan bill, and the House has 
passed two reauthorization bills. In the reauthorization bill passed by 
this Congress, we strengthened Pell Grants, improved the Perkins Loan 
program, and expanded access to college for millions of American 
students. The reauthorization bills also included important reforms 
that will provide more transparency to American families on the cost of 
college. A recent report found that since 1983, the cost of keeping 
colleges running has outpaced the consumer price index by 48 percent. 
The average total for tuition fees, room and board, for an in-State 
student at a public 4-year college is $13,589. It jumps to $32,307 for 
a student attending a private 4-year college. Tuition and fees have 
increased by an average of 4.4 percent per year over the past decade, 
and that's after adjusting for inflation. Students and families need to 
be able to plan for these increases, and that's exactly what we are 
proposing, through greater sunshine and transparency. We need to 
complete the reauthorization process to make those proposals a reality.
  Madam Speaker, this is a clean extension bill that will allow the 
current programs of the Higher Education Act to continue past their 
current June 30, 2008, expiration date until July 31, 2008. Programs 
like Pell Grants and Perkins Loans are the passports out of poverty for 
millions of American students. We must complete our work on the 
conference agreement prior to the August recess.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on S. 3180.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 3180.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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