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June 15, 2007 at 10:22 PM
Members of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee voted 30-16 Wednesday to pass H.R. 2669, a bill that would pay for expanding federal grant programs for students by cutting subsidies for student loan companies.
The bill, introduced by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, and other lawmakers, also could require colleges to justify unusually large increases in tuition prices, and it includes a section, Section 104, that could affect education planning professionals, by affecting the way the federal government treats 529 plans, Coverdell education savings accounts and state prepaid tuition programs when estimating students’ financial aid needs.
Miller says H.R. 2669, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, would boost college financial aid by about $20 billion over the next 5 years.
The grant provision of the bill would boost the maximum value of Pell Grant scholarships over the next 5 years to $5,200, from $4,050. About 5.5 million low-income and moderate-income students would benefit from this increase, Miller says.
The bill also would cut interest rates on need-based student loans to 3.4%, from today’s rate of 6.8%, by 2013.
The rate cut could save a typical student borrower $4,400 over the life of a typical $13,800 need-based loan.
About 6.8 million students take out need-based student loans each year, according to Miller.
The bill also calls for:
oTuition assistance for undergraduate students who agree to teach in the nation’s public schools.
