Kilmer Visits Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Details New Bill to Increase College Affordability
TACOMA, WA – Today, Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) visited Lincoln High School in Tacoma to talk to students about his new bill to increase college affordability. Kilmer met with students from the AP Government classes of Nathan Gibbs-Bowling. Gibbs-Bowling was recently named one of four finalists for the 2016 National Teacher of the Year award.
During the stop, Kilmer answered questions about his work in Congress and also detailed his new bill to restore the purchasing power of the Pell Grant program. The Pathways to an Affordable Education Act would boost the maximum Pell Grant award while extending its reach to lower and middle-class families.
“We know that education is the door to opportunity,” said Kilmer. “That’s especially true in an era when more and more jobs, whether you work in a factory or an office park, require some form of higher education. I want to make sure folks don’t leave school with piles of debt that limit them from starting a business or owning a home. One of America’s key tools for making college affordable is the Pell Grant program but lately it’s gotten rusty. That’s why I introduced a bill to give Pell Grants a shot in the arm so students who qualify can actually use them to cover the costs of getting a degree without taking out burdensome loans.”
Across the nation more than 8 million students receive Pell Grants. But over time the amount that it covers for attending school has declined. In 1980, the maximum amount a qualifying student could earn through Pell Grants would cover 77 percent of the cost of attending a four-year public university. In 2015, that declined to around 30 percent.
The Pell Grant program was created in 1972 to provide need-based grants to help more students go to college. The awards do not need to be repaid and can be utilized at nearly 5,400 postsecondary institutions across the United States.
To help bolster the Pell Grant program Kilmer’s bill would:
Boost Pell Grant Buying Power: Increase the Pell Award from $5,775 to $9,139 so that it covers the average cost of in-state tuition at a four-year public university.
Increase Pell Grant Flexibility: Enable the grants to be used year-round (including for summer programs) rather than limiting use to two semesters. Also, allow Pell Grants to be used for 15 semesters (rather than the current 12).
Extend a Hand to Low-Income Students: Increase the Pell Grant for students at and far below the poverty line.
Stop Congressional Game-Playing: Change funding for the program from discretionary to mandatory so students won’t have to worry about year-to-year changes in awards.
Ease Pell Grant Accessibility for all Students: Shine a light on the program for students who may not know about how these grants can help them.
End Taxation of Pell Grants: Stop considering Pell Grants used to cover indirect educational costs (including housing, transportation, and food) as taxable income.
Kilmer’s bill is supported by a number of groups that work on higher education issues including Third Way, Young Invincibles, the Institute for College Access and Success, and the Center for Law and Social Policy.
###