[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6465]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACT

  (Mrs. BUSTOS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a commonsense 
bill that I will be introducing to give more flexibility to students 
eligible for the Pell Grant program.
  Last month, I had the privilege of spending a week on the road, 
touring and meeting with educators, students, business people, and 
others at the seven community colleges that serve my congressional 
district. On this tour I learned more about the ways local community 
colleges and businesses are coming together to address the skills gap, 
increase American manufacturing, and put people back to work.
  However, the one disappointment I learned during this tour is that 
the Pell Grant program doesn't give students who want to go to school 
year-round enough flexibility. Due to senseless changes in 2011, Pell 
Grants are no longer available for use during the summer semester under 
too many circumstances.
  The bill I am introducing, called the Access to Education and 
Training Act, would give more flexibility to the Pell Grant program to 
allow students to receive assistance year-round. This is important 
because many of the students I've met are interested in accelerated 
training courses that take place over the course of an entire year. 
Many of those who would benefit most are nontraditional students who 
want to complete their courses faster, simply so they can get back to 
the workforce. I want to make sure that community colleges are 
accessible and affordable for all Americans who want to get an 
education, learn a skill, and acquire the training they need to excel 
in today's economy.
  Giving more flexibility to the Pell Grant program would help ensure 
success for hardworking students simply looking to get ahead.

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