Rep. Boozman Votes to Expand College Grant Program

Rep. Boozman Votes to Expand College Grant Program

Higher education bill makes Pell Grants year-round

Washington, Mar 30 -

U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today voted to increase the availability of Pell Grants by making the program year-round.

Right now, Pell Grants are only available for the school year. Boozman's vote today would make an additional Pell Grant available to qualifying students during the summertime.

"As a former school board member, I know how important it is to ensure that students who work hard and want to get a higher education can afford it," said Boozman. "Pell Grants are an important tool in this regard and this expansion will make them available to more students."

The Pell Grant expansion was included as a provision in the "College Access and Opportunity Act," which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 221-199.

The bill reauthorizes the discretionary programs of the Higher Education Act (HEA) including the Federal Perkins Loan Program and several other student aid & student access programs in Title IV, teacher training programs, graduate study programs, international & foreign language programs and institutional programs.

Other highlights of the "College Access and Opportunity Act" include:

* Creating an Academic Bill of Rights that among other things protects a student's right to privacy and increases access to their own personal records;
* Making more information about colleges and universities available to students to help them choice an institution;
* Reducing red tape for students and graduates; and
* Promoting merit-based pay for teachers through new incentive programs.

"The students are the focus here," said Boozman. "This bill will help us increase feedback so that we can better meet the needs of both schools and students which will in turn improve our higher education system."

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=41624