[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13081]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            EDUCATION FIRST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about education. A 
quality, affordable education is vital to ensuring that American 
students are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. For West 
Virginians, for Americans to compete for jobs, they need to have the 
skills, knowledge, and training to make them attractive to employers.
  Education opens doors. A diploma or degree brings with it the promise 
of a better future, better wages, a better quality of life, a better 
future for one's family. Without a quality education, the possibilities 
of life are truly limited, not limitless.
  In the House of Representatives, we are taking action today to ensure 
that every American has access to quality education and an education 
that is affordable and understandable.
  Later today, we will pass two bills to help students pay for college 
and better manage the debt that they accrue. The Empowering Students 
through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act will better educate students 
about the financial implications of student loans and help them borrow 
the money they need, not all of the money that they are offered.
  We hear time and time again of the crushing debt that our students 
are coming out of college and higher education with. We want to help 
them better manage that and understand that.
  So with counseling on the front end, they will know what they are 
actually getting into, instead of waiting until the back end and 
hitting them with the hammer of this is where you are now, so you have 
got to deal with it.
  We will also pass the Student and Family Tax Simplification Act 
which, very simply, makes permanent the American Opportunity Tax 
Credit.
  West Virginians want to work. Americans want to work. West Virginia's 
employers want to hire at home. They want to have access to an educated 
workforce, and by investing in education, we invest in our Nation's 
future. We invest in growing our Nation's economy, and we invest in the 
future of generations yet to come.

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