[an error occurred while processing this directive] Press Release: - Cummings Removes Obstacles to Higher Education
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Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2008

 Contact:
Jennifer Kohl
202.225.4289 or 202.225.4025
Trudy Perkins
410.685.9199 or 202.225.4641

Cummings Removes Obstacles to Higher Education
Congressman votes to streamline financial aid process, increase quality of higher learning programs
Washington, DC—Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) voted for legislation to address the increasing costs of college tuition and remove many of the obstacles standing in the way of a college education for qualified students.
 
“Each year, we see an increasing number of students finding themselves at opportunity’s doorstop only to realize they are without a key,” Congressman Cummings said. “The College Opportunity and Affordability Act takes the first steps necessary to remove some of the barriers keeping these students from getting through the door.”
 
The legislation, H.R. 4137, passed last week by a vote of 354-58 and builds on the College Cost and Reduction Act that was signed into law last September—the largest increase in student aid since the 1944 GI Bill. The bill includes the following provisions to benefit Maryland’s 7th District that Congressman Cummings fought to have included:
  • Awarding competitive grants to HBCU’s with qualified master’s degree programs, including the nursing program at Coppin State University
  • Removing a drug rehabilitation requirement currently included on the FAFSA application for federal financial aid before the reinstatement of financial aid for students convicted of drug-related offenses.
  • Awarding competitive grants to train teachers in special education
  • Awarding grants to colleges and universities for the development of procedures for emergency communication to students and staff and requiring these institutions to coordinate with local entities to provide mental health crisis response and intervention services following campus emergencies.
 
“Education is the cornerstone to a successful life, and ensuring that every single qualified candidate has access to this critical foundation is a top priority for me,” Congressman Cummings said. “I have always been committed both to ensuring that students have the tools necessary to pursue higher education and to ensuring that institutions of higher learning are not forced to turn these students away due to a lack of resources.”
 
Additionally, the bill streamlines the student financial aid application process, makes textbook costs more manageable, increases college aid and support programs for veterans and military families, and strengthens science, technology, and foreign language educational opportunities.
 
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