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Press Release of Senator Feingold

FEINGOLD-BACKED MEASURES TO IMPROVE EDUCATION PASS SENATE

Including provisions from Feingold legislation to make two-year colleges eligible for TRIO grants

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Washington, DC – Provisions based on previous legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to allow two-year colleges across the country to apply for TRIO grants were included in the Higher Education Act of 2007 passed by the Senate today. The TRIO grant program provides outreach and assistance to low-income and underrepresented minorities to help them achieve a college education. Feingold has been a strong supporter of increased funding for U.S. Department of Education TRIO programs for many years, including joining a bipartisan group of colleagues on April 4, 2007, to urge a $100 million increase for TRIO in fiscal year 2008.

“Many students today dream of going to college, but face financial and other hurdles to making that dream a reality,” Feingold said. “Students who face these additional barriers to higher education need a helping hand, and thanks to the TRIO program, more students are getting the help they need. By increasing access to this important program, we can help more students get the higher education they deserve.”

Feingold also strongly supported provisions to reform the student loan system, make college more affordable and better train our teachers. These provisions:

  • Require all colleges participating in programs in the Higher Education Act to develop a code of conduct for student loan lending practices and ban gifts of more than nominal value from lenders to campus employees.
  • Increase the authorized maximum for Pell Grants to $6,300 by the 2011-2012 academic award year.
  • Ensure that the grants for training of teachers will promote a wide range of teaching skills in teachers, including measuring students on different forms of assessment, such as performance-based measures, student portfolios, and formative assessments.

“Reducing the financial hurdles that young Americans face will help them focus on completing their education rather than worrying about how they will afford to maximize their potential,” Feingold said. “The legislation passed today by the Senate is a great victory for all the students and their families working to make a higher education a reality.”