[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21800]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               STUDENT AID AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT

  (Mr. WILSON of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to give my support to 
the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bill which will make 
historic investments in our Nation's higher education.
  This legislation covers a broad array of initiatives to make college 
more affordable and accessible for everyone, and I am particularly glad 
to see that it does much to strengthen community colleges.
  In this challenging economy, community colleges offer a crucial 
opportunity for students to fully prepare for the workforce. In 2007, 
there were over 156,000 students enrolled in Ohio's community colleges. 
I was pleased to see that this legislation provided the attention and 
funding that community colleges deserve.
  This bill creates a new grant program that improves the resources and 
instruction at community colleges and emphasizes the partnerships 
between the colleges and local employers. In addition, it invests in 
the renovation and modernization of aging facilities.
  In areas where many students can't afford a 4-year university, these 
community colleges provide a quality education and the training needed 
to succeed. These students deserve the increase in funding this 
legislation proposes. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

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