[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 395 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 395
Establishing the American Competitiveness through Education (ACE)
resolution.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 9, 2006
Mr. Harkin (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Reid, Mrs. Boxer, Mrs.
Murray, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Establishing the American Competitiveness through Education (ACE)
resolution.
Whereas one of the top priorities for our families and our country is ensuring
that young people get the education they need, from early childhood to
higher education, to succeed at work and in life;
Whereas the economy and future of the United States depend on maintaining a
highly skilled and educated workforce with the ability to compete in an
increasingly high-tech global economy;
Whereas millions of hard-working middle-class families now struggle to afford
the rising cost of higher education, which averages $12,127 per year at
a public 4-year college and $29,026 per year at a private 4-year college
for the 2005-2006 school year;
Whereas between 2000 and 2005, the cost of tuition and fees increased 57 percent
at public 4-year colleges and 32 percent at private 4-year colleges;
Whereas during the 1985-1986 school year, the maximum Federal Pell Grant covered
55 percent of the cost of tuition, fees, room and board at a public 4-
year college, but during the 2005-2006 school year the maximum Federal
Pell Grant covers only 33 percent of such cost, leaving today's students
burdened with more debt or unable to afford a college education at all;
Whereas at the same time that college costs are rising substantially, President
Bush recently signed into law the largest cut in student loan programs
in the history of the Nation and now proposes a budget for fiscal year
2007 that would eliminate new funding for Federal Perkins Loans and
freeze the maximum Federal Pell Grant award at $4,050, where the maximum
Federal Pell Grant has been since 2003, reducing the real value of the
maximum Federal Pell Grant to the families who depend upon it;
Whereas the President's budget also breaks promises to our children, their
parents, and their schools;
Whereas school districts must meet tough new standards under the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110; 115 Stat. 1425), but the
President's budget underfunds this effort by $15,400,000,000;
Whereas all children deserve an education that will prepare them for the 21st
century global economy, but the President is proposing to leave
3,700,000 children behind by failing to fully fund title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)
at the level promised in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001;
Whereas in 1975 Congress committed to fully funding the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), in order to provide
an appropriate education to students with special needs, yet for the
second year in a row the President's budget retreats on that commitment
by reducing the Federal Government's share of the cost for educating
students with special needs, placing a greater financial burden on
States and local school districts;
Whereas research shows that every dollar invested in high-quality early
childhood education yields $13 in benefits to the public, but the
President's budget would eliminate Head Start services for 19,000
children;
Whereas despite the importance of education, the President now is proposing a
$2,100,000,000 cut to Federal education funding, which would be the
largest cut in the 26-year history of the Department of Education;
Whereas the President's budget proposes to eliminate or substantially reduce
funding for 42 existing education programs, including Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities State Grants, Educational Technology State
Grants, Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs, Gaining
Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP), and
Federal TRIO Programs;
Whereas every child deserves a safe, healthy, supervised place to go after
school, but the President's budget denies these opportunities to
2,000,000 disadvantaged students by funding 21st Century Community
Learning Centers at less than half the level promised in the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001; and
Whereas the education cuts in the President's budget would eliminate the ability
of many working families to ensure a quality education for their
children, deny many young people the opportunities that flow from a
college education, reduce the competitiveness of the United States
workforce, and harm the Nation's economy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) Congress should act to make college more affordable
by--
(A) increasing tax benefits to offset college
costs, such as expanding the Hope Scholarship Credit
and the deductibility of college tuition;
(B) substantially increasing the size of Federal
Pell Grants to better reflect the increase in the cost
of higher education; and
(C) making student loans more affordable by
reducing interest rates and fees for students and
families;
(2) Congress should keep its promises to the children of
the United States, particularly by fully funding the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001, the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, and the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.);
and
(3) Congress should reject the cuts in the President's
education budget for fiscal year 2007.
SEC. 2. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``American Competitiveness
through Education Resolution'' or the ``ACE Resolution''.
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