Bachmann and Kline Vote Against College Cost Reduction Act

09/10/2007

Bachmann and Kline Twice Vote Against Bipartisan Legislation to Make College Affordable; Largest Increase in College Aid Since G.I. Bill


St. Paul, MN (September 10, 2007) Showing that their ears are increasingly tin to the growing costs that college students and their families face today, Representatives Michele Bachmann (MN-6) and John Kline (MN-2) voted on Friday for the second time against the bipartisan College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which provided the largest increase in college aid since the G.I. Bill was enacted in 1944.

The conference-committee report passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 292-97. Every other member of the Minnesota delegation supported the legislation. And this legislation is just the latest in a series that would make college more affordable for Minnesota students that Bachmann and Kline have voted against. Both Bachmann and Kline voted against the same legislation in July and voted against the College Student Relief Act in January. [Roll Call #864, 9/7/07; Roll Call #613, 7/11/07; Roll Call #32, 1/17/07]

“Many talented, deserving Minnesota students who might go to college can’t afford it, considering that on graduation they are likely to face over $20,000 in debt, the sixth-highest average burden in the country,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez. “Representatives Bachmann and Kline have now voted twice against a bipartisan effort to make it easier to afford college for many Minnesota students, showing that they are increasingly out of touch with the concerns of the people who elected them.”

“Michele Bachmann and John Kline are waging war on the middle class, and it must stop. For America to compete in the 21st-century economy, we must help educate our best and our brightest — not just our wealthiest. We need representatives in Washington who put the middle class and working families first,” continued Melendez. “Unfortunately for Bachmann and Kline, their tin ears will be their downfalls in 2008.”

Bachmann, Kline Vote Against Bipartisan College Cost Reduction and Access Act Again. Rep. Bachmann and Kline voted against the bipartisan legislation for the second time on September 7. The legislation passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 292-97. Every other Minnesota delegation member voted for the legislation. [Roll Call #864, 9/7/07]

The Biggest Increase in College Aid since G.I. Bill, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act will increase college financial aid by more than $20 billion over the next five years. [H.R. 2669]

The legislation will make college more affordable by cutting interest rates in half on need-based student loans (from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over the next four years). As a result, Minnesota students will save $4,310 over the life of the loan at a four year school.

The legislation also increases the value of Pell Grants by $1,090 over the next five years, to $5,400 by 2012. More than 76,000 Minnesota students rely on Pell Grants to attend college.

The act also includes tuition assistance for undergraduate students who teach in America’s public schools and provides loan forgiveness after 10 years of public service and loan repayment for college graduates that go into vital public service jobs.

Finally, the legislation makes landmark investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and other minority serving institutions.

Bachmann, Kline Opposed College Cost Reduction Act Earlier This Year. Bachmann and Kline voted against the College Cost Reduction Act. All five DFL members of the state’s congressional delegation and Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad voted for the legislation. Representatives Ellison and McCollum cosponsored H.R. 2669. [Roll Call #613, 7/11/07]

Bachmann, Kline Opposed College Student Relief Act (H.R. 5). Bachmann and Kline voted against the College Student Relief Act in January 2007. All five DFL members of the state’s congressional delegation voted for the bill and all five Minnesota DFLers in the House co-sponsored H.R. 5. [Roll Call #32, 1/17/07]

Cost of College Increased 30 Percent in Last Decade. According to the U.S. Department of Education, prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public colleges rose by 30 percent, and prices at private colleges rose by 21 percent, after adjustment for inflation, between 1995–96 and 2005–06. [U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, (2007)]

Minnesotans’ Student-Loan Debt Ranks Sixth in U.S. The Project on Student Debt determined that in 2005, the overall average debt of students graduating from four-year institutions was $20,560, the sixth-highest figure in America. [Project on Student Debt website, 7/12/07]