On September 20, the House approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 3784) to extend programs authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965 (P.L. 105-244) through December 31, 2005. In July, legislation (H.R. 609) to reauthorize the Higher Education Act was approved by the House Education and the Workforce Committee (see The Source, 7/22/05). The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved companion legislation (S. 1614) earlier this month (see The Source, 9/09/05).
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair John Boehner (R-OH) explained that the measure “extends critical programs for a brief time frame, 3 months, to give Congress the additional time it needs to complete this process in the best interests of students and taxpayers.” Referring to H.R. 609, he stated, “That bill contained a number of reforms that I had hoped would be enacted by today. The College Access and Opportunity Act would have realigned our student aid programs to place first priority back where it belongs, on the millions of low- and middle-income students who have not yet received a higher education… Now I remain committed to a comprehensive reauthorization and hope to complete that process this year.”
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI) said he was “pleased that in the face of a national tragedy a simple extension has been offered,” but added, “I hope the Republican leadership can use this time, however, to reevaluate H.R. 609, their plan to balance the massive deficit on the backs of students already struggling to pay for college…H.R. 609 represents the largest cut in the history of Federal student financial aid. The largest cut in history. That is something that should give all of us pause and concern, and I am sure it does.”
