Mikulski Announces Committee Approval of Key Funding for Pell Grants "College is part of the American Dream,it shouldn't be a part of the American financial nightmare,"said Senator Mikulski,who also serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions(HELP) Committee
PoliticalNews.me - Jun 17,2012 - Mikulski Announces Committee Approval of Key Funding for Pell Grants
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the FY 2013 Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and Related Agencies spending bill passed by the Appropriations Committee, which puts funds in the federal checkbook for national education and children's programs, includes key funding to increase Pell Grants.
"College is part of the American Dream, it shouldn't be a part of the American financial nightmare," said Senator Mikulski, who also serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "That's why I will keep fighting to make access to higher education a priority in the federal law books and in the checkbook."
With college tuition on the rise nationwide, the spending bill will help increase the maximum Pell Grant to $5,635 for the 2013-2014 school year. The FY 2013 funding level represents an $85 increase in the grant from the previous year.
These grants help students from the neediest families realize the promise of a higher education. Pell grants support more than 120,000 college students in Maryland.
Earlier this year, Senator Mikulski co-sponsored the Stop Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012. The bill would have prevented federal student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st, including 103,000 Maryland students. The measure was blocked by Senate Republicans.
In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the Senate floor for a vote, which has not yet been scheduled.
