[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6432]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       STUDENT AID EXPANSION ACT

  (Mr. CASTRO of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, over the last 4 months, I have been 
proud to work towards building out what I have called the 
Infrastructure of Opportunity for our Nation. Recently, I had the 
opportunity to file legislation to reinforce one of the major 
cornerstones of that infrastructure: access to colleges and 
universities.
  A few weeks ago, I filed the Student Aid Expansion Act of 2013 that 
will provide higher education students increased access to affordable 
financial aid. As we've all witnessed across our districts, the cost of 
tuition continues to rise. In Texas, for example, tuition and fees at 
public institutions have increased over 90 percent since 2003.
  Meanwhile, students and families are left looking for ways to keep 
their higher education affordable. Over the last 10 years, we have seen 
students rely more heavily on loans to finance their education. Fifty-
two percent of direct student aid now comes in the form of loans.
  The Student Aid Expansion Act of 2013 would remove barriers that are 
currently preventing our institutions of higher education from 
promoting affordable, State-based alternatives. These types of loans 
are zero interest and can be fully forgiven if a student does well in 
school. Importantly, this legislation will not cost Federal, State, or 
local governments a single dime.

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