Congressman Courtney on Education
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| Tuesday, September 15th 2009 |
As schools and universities begin the new academic year, I wanted to bring you up to date on exciting education news from Congress for Connecticut. As the sole member of the Connecticut Congressional delegation serving on the House Education and Labor Committee, I have been working tirelessly to help improve access to education for all students, including veterans who have defended our country.
This week, the House of Representatives will take another major step in improving education and lowering student costs when it takes up debate and votes on HR 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. This legislation recognizes that education is a lifelong process and that early intervention in students' lives will help ensure the long term success of students as they progress in school and eventually enter the workplace.
The legislation includes many important provisions, including an historic investment in early childhood education that will improve services and expand opportunities for all children. HR 3221 also builds upon the investments made in recent years that have helped open the door to a more affordable higher education for millions of students by increasing support for Pell grant program and reducing the cost of student loans. In Connecticut's Second Congressional District alone there are nearly 11,000 students who will be eligible for a Pell Grant award in the 2010-2011 academic year. For this reason, the legislation will invest approximately $46 million over the next ten years in our Congressional District.
The bill also increases support for community colleges like Asnuntuck Community College and Three Rivers Community College that play a vital role in preparing students for the 21st Century workplace by offering advanced coursework and hands on experience in manufacturing. These investments in community colleges will allow the institutions to create new partnerships with local employers who will be able to rely on local, highly-skilled talent as a hiring resource in the future. If we are going to get our country back on track, we must invest in community colleges to ensure that we have a workforce that is more competitive and innovative. In 2007, over 40,500 students were enrolled in Connecticut community colleges, and that number has likely increased in recent years.
However, this isn't just about what is given to students, but rather what is given back to taxpayers. Currently, the federal government subsidizes private lenders as a guaranty for private loans to students. HR 3221 proposes to originate all federal student loans from the U.S. Department of Education as a way to save taxpayers' dollars, but also to make sure that even in an economic downturn, students will have reliable access to affordable loans.
Following House established "Pay-Go" rules, which I support, this legislation will not add to the federal deficit because it saves $87 billion over ten years. The legislation moves all loans to the federal Direct Loan program. Ultimately, this reform will send $10 billion back to the U.S. Treasury through cuts and savings to pay down the deficit. Click here to learn more about HR 3221.
Should you have any questions or comments about this or any other issue, please feel free to contact me by email at http://courtney.house.gov/email. As always, I look forward to your feedback.
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
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