Chet Edwards For Congress

Congress acts to make college more affordable

FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM | Aug. 10, 2008 | By ANNA M. TINSLEY

Melody Davenport is a little nervous about having two children in college next year.

She knows that means everything doubles, from tuition bills to meal plans, at a time when college costs and other expenses continue to skyrocket.

But she also knows that help is on the way, now that Congress has passed a bill to use billions of dollars to help students through expanded grants and financial programs. The measure is waiting for President Bush's signature to become law.

The bill would make Pell grants worth more money and available year-round, require colleges to account for rising tuition bills and even make financial aid applications easier to figure out — all measures some say are needed as America continues to try to field a better-educated work force prepared to compete in the global economy.

"There is such a stress put on parents when they are thinking of financing their children through college," said Davenport, of Euless, who has a college sophomore and a high school senior. The college student receives a Pell grant.

"Knowing the government is behind us and understands that education is important, that is encouraging," she said. "They know it's important . and that . enough for them to assist me as the economy changes . gives me a better feeling."

Educational help

At a time when many fear that students from low- and middle-class families may be priced out of a college education, Congress has passed a wide-ranging, 1,000-page-plus Higher Education Act, the federal law guiding higher education.

It comes five years after the last version expired and calls for colleges to be more accountable for providing information about their costs and prices. Universities with the largest increases in tuition will need to explain why costs went up and how they will keep expenses down.

Officials hope that more transparency will stop college costs from spiraling out of control.

A key measure expands Pell grants, given to nearly 6 million students each year, by making them available year-round for low-income students even during summer semesters. And it boosts the amount they provide, from $6,000 next year to $8,000 in 2014.

"With tuition rates skyrocketing, lower- and middle-income students and their families are struggling to afford college," said U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, a Democrat whose District 17 stretches from suburbs south of Fort Worth to east of College Station. "This bill helps hardworking students pursue their dream of a college education."

The act includes $69 million in mandatory funding for grants to Hispanic Serving Institutions graduate schools, a measure U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said she helped secure.

Opposing viewpoint

Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, said he had to vote against the bill.

He said there was no final price tag on the measure, which cost nearly $170 billion when the House sent it to the Senate. Burgess said it came back boosting the number of new programs from 19 to 50.

"It's a very expensive bill at a time when we are going to have to deal with a crisis in spending," Burgess said.

Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said, "My sense of the Higher Education Act is that it's a mixed bag."

The best is the increase in Pell grants, he said. The harder part is requiring more detailed reporting about how universities set tuition.

More action needed?

Some college officials say they wish that the measure had gone further.

"But in total, how much of the cost of a student's education will a Pell grant cover? There still will be a substantial gap for many," Mike Scott, director of financial aid at Texas Christian University.

Higher Education Act Among the provisions:

Pell grants: The Pell grant system would be expanded, to let students receive federal money year-round, including during summer sessions. It also boosts Pell grants from $6,000 next year to $8,000 in 2014.

Sex offender eligibility: Violent sex offenders who in the past have been awarded grants while they served time in treatment centers will no longer be eligible for the grants. Prisoners have been ineligible for the grants since 1994, but a loophole has allowed sex offenders in some states to be eligible once they were transferred to a treatment center.

Textbook costs: Textbook publishers would have to give more pricing information to faculty, so they could decide the most cost-efficient materials to require, and it would also require professors to give earlier notice to students about materials that they'll need, so they have more time to bargain shop. Textbook companies would also have to unbundle materials to let students buy only what they need for class, so they aren't stuck with supplementary materials, such as CDs, that they may not need.

Tuition accountability: A government watch list would be created by the secretary of education each year to show the colleges and universities with the highest and lowest tuition and fees. Schools on the list would need to explain what made prices go up.

Military service: Service members would be able to defer federal loan payments interest-free while on active duty.