House Bill Fights Rising Tuition Practices, Expands Access To College
BY JOHN TOSCANO

The bill also makes textbook costs more manageable for students and allows them to receive year-round Pell Grant scholarships, Crowley said.

The College Opportunity and Affordability Act, the primary federal law aimed at expanding access for low- and middle-income students, passed Congress earlier this month with a strong bipartisan vote.

In addition to encouraging colleges to keep costs down and reforming tuition loan practices, the bill also streamlines the student financial aid application practice, according to Congressmember Joseph Crowley.

The bill also makes textbook costs more manageable for students and allows them to receive year-round Pell Grant scholarships, Crowley said.

The House also unanimously approved a measure proposed by Crowley that would encourage community college students to become mentors for at-risk children. The bill would forgive $10 of a student's federal loans for every hour of mentoring that the student completes.

Noting the steadily rising costs of a college education, Crowley said, "It's time we reward students who are focused on bettering both their education and their community."

Dennis Golladay, SUNY Chancellor for Community Colleges, commended Crowley's bill for recognizing those students "who are managing to change not only their own lives as they pursue their higher education goals, but also the lives of at-risk children".

Crowley said the College Opportunity and Affordability Act addresses the soaring price of college tuition and removes other obstacles that make it harder for qualified students to go to college.

"As the price of college tuition continues to rise, higher education moves further out of reach for many Americans," Crowley said. "By keeping college prices in check and ensuring fair student loan lending practices, Congress is giving a helping hand to millions of students in New York and around the country."

Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx) noted that the legislation is the second major step the new Democratic Congress has taken to make college more affordable and accessible for all qualified students. Last year, it enacted a $20 billion increase in college financial aid extending over the next five years, the largest increase in student aid since the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944.