[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9393-9394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           STUDENT LOAN RATES

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, unless Congress takes action, student loan 
rates will double on July 1. This is unacceptable. Access to affordable 
education is one of the most important issues to young people today, 
yet many graduates find themselves tens of thousands of dollars in debt 
as they leave school and try to enter the workforce. In New York State, 
60 percent of college students graduate with some debt, averaging 
$27,000.
  Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to sign the discharge petition by 
Representative Joe Courtney, H.R. 1595, the Student Loan Relief Act, 
along with over 180 of my colleagues. This legislation would freeze the 
interest rate at its current 3.4 percent for the next 2 years.
  It's time for Republican leadership to acknowledge the urgency of 
this legislation and bring it to the floor. All Americans deserve a 
fair shot at a good and affordable education.

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