House Democrats push bills to make college affordable for students

Democrats seek to double Pell Grant funding, change lending rules and expand access to food for college students

Democratic lawmakers are pushing a higher education package in the U.S. House of Representatives that would significantly increase need-based grants and expand funding to make college more affordable students and families without having to take on a large load of debt.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., told theGrio that the goal is to allow everyone access to earn a college degree as it is “the most direct route to being a part of the middle class.”

“Most people can’t afford tuition or room and board,” said Scott, ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “Tuition is around $50,000 a year and without significant assistance, they won’t be able to attend.”

Last month, committee members launched the “Roadmap to College Student Success,” which consists of seven bills that aim to lower the cost of education, grant students with resources to access higher education and provide support to graduates.  

The committee aims to pass the “Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now Act,” which would double Pell Grant awards and make loans more affordable and accessible.

“We’ve long touted a college degree as a ticket to the American Dream. Today, that dream is further out of reach due to crippling student debt,” U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fl. and subcommittee ranking member, said in a statement. The initiative would “ensure that this generation is the last to experience America’s student loan debt crisis.”

To make this initiative work, House members also want to pass the “College Transparency Act,” which requires colleges and universities to provide students and their families with data that shows student performance during enrollment and whether students were able to find jobs after graduation. The move would help students decide how to invest in their education by knowing about job placement rates for each major, Scott said.

“Unfortunately, the current lack of student-level data from institutions of higher education hampers the decision-making ability of students and families when choosing a college,” U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., previously said in a statement.

House members also want to pass the “Respond, Innovative, Succeed, and Empower Act,” the “Opportunity to Address College Hunger Act” and “Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act” to improve accommodations for college students with disabilities, support students experiencing hunger and to expand access to mental health resources.   

Scott said he proposed students who can’t afford food have access to SNAP benefits and that colleges keep “at least one dormitory and one cafeteria open” during the summer and winter breaks.

“We also need to make sure schools significantly increase their endowments, so if something happens in the future like the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ll have the wherewithal to get through an emergency like that,” he said.

Scott hopes this initiative gains the support of his Republican colleagues, however he told theGrio, “There is little optimism while they’re in the majority.”

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