Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following today:
Dec 05 2019
Senator Murray’s bipartisan
agreement to permanently fund HBCUs and minority serving institutions,
including Northwest Indian College, after funding lapsed at the end of
September
Deal also includes FAFSA
Act, legislation that would simplify financial aid application process
and streamline income-driven repayment
Senator Murray:
“By permanently extending funding for these valuable institutions and
streamlining our student aid system, this deal is a win-win”
***VIDEO OF SENATOR MURRAY’S SPEECH AVAILABLE HERE***
(Washington, D.C.) – Today,
the Senate passed a bipartisan deal led by Patty Murray (D-WA), the top
Democrat on the Senate education committee, to permanently fund History
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving
institutions (MSIs), including the Lummi Nation’s Northwest Indian
College. The deal, which amended the FUTURE Act, now includes the FAFSA Act,
a bill that will simplify and streamline the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 20 million American families and
income-driven repayment for nearly 8 million borrowers by eliminating
duplicative paperwork between the Internal Revenue Service and the
Department of Education.
“While this funding should never
have lapsed in the first place, I’m glad that we were able to reach a
deal that provides minority-serving institutions with the certainty of
funding they deserve—and I truly appreciate the work done on both sides
of the aisle to get us to this point,” Senator Murray said. “By
permanently extending funding for these valuable institutions and
streamlining our student aid system, this deal is a win-win. Now, I look
forward to continuing to work with my Republican colleagues on efforts
to overhaul the Higher Education Act in a comprehensive, bipartisan way
that does right by all students.”
Led by Senator Murray and Senator Doug
Jones (D-AL), Senate Democrats have been fighting for months to secure
funding for the HBCUs and MSIs by calling for passage of the bipartisan,
House-approved FUTURE Act, which would extend funding for HBCUs and
MSIs for two years. Following months of Republican opposition, earlier
this week, Senate education leaders reached a
bipartisan deal to permanently extend funding for these critical
universities with the savings from the FAFSA Act, legislation which passed the Senate unanimously
last year. This deal would create the first and only permanent funding
program—outside of Pell Grants and student loans—to support students and
colleges.
Washington state is home to several MSIs,
including Northwest Indian College, the only accredited tribal college
serving the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as several
Hispanic Serving Institutions, including Columbia Basin College and
Heritage University. Nearly 150,000 student loan borrowers in Washington
state are enrolled in income-driven repayment, and more than 370,000
Washingtonians fill out a FAFSA each year, all of whom will benefit from
the legislation’s changes to simplify financial aid paperwork.
“I’m also pleased this legislation
streamlines federal student aid for more than 20 million students
applying for aid, and nearly 8 million borrowers,” said Senator Murray in her remarks. “Our
nation’s outdated and overly complicated financial aid system is
forcing students and student loan borrowers to jump through too many
hoops to access federal financial aid, verify the tax returns they’ve
already filled out, and to get help if they’re struggling to pay their
student loans.”
Earlier today, Senator Murray thanked her
colleagues for working together to reach this bipartisan deal on the
Senate floor. Senator Murray also emphasized the continued need for
bipartisan cooperation in order to pass a comprehensive reauthorization
of the Higher Education Act that includes real answers to challenges
students face on affordability, access, accountability and campus
safety.
Watch Senator Murray’s speech HERE:
Read the full text of Senator Murray’s remarks:
“Thank you, Madam President.”
“HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, and other
minority-serving institutions – or MSIs – are an essential part of our
higher education system. These institutions serve nearly six million
undergraduate students, a large majority of whom are students of color
or Native students.”
“Funding for these critical institutions should never be up for debate—and now, it won’t be.”
“I’m so glad we’ve have reached a bipartisan deal that will permanently fund HBCUs and MSIs.”
“I know many of our colleagues worked
hard on this—but I especially want to recognize Senator Jones for his
leadership in pushing to make sure this got done as well as Senator
Alexander, and of course Senators Coons, Scott, and Burr.”
“I’m also pleased this legislation
streamlines federal student aid for more than 20 million students
applying for aid, and nearly 8 million borrowers.”
“Our nation’s outdated and overly
complicated financial aid system is forcing students and student loan
borrowers to jump through too many hoops to access federal financial
aid, verify the tax returns they’ve already filled out, and to get help
if they’re struggling to pay their student loans.”
“The FAFSA Act – which has been
included in this bill – allows data to be securely shared between the
IRS and the Department of Education, making it easier for students to
fill out the FAFSA form and to pay their loans.”
“The bill will strengthen privacy
protections and help students and borrowers navigate their financial aid
through a streamlined, more efficient process.”
“This bill is also thanks to Jeff
Appel, an integral member of Federal Student Aid who recently passed
away. I’m grateful for his contribution and I know that he will be
sorely missed.”
“Madam President, there’s one more way
in which the agreement we’ve reached is important, too. This proves once
again that we can work across the aisle and get things done, when we
all stay focused squarely on what’s best for students.”
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to
make higher education in our country more affordable and accessible, to
hold schools accountable for student outcomes, and to ensure students’
safety on campus.”
“So I’m very hopeful we can build on
this bipartisan progress we’ve seen so far as we continue working to
reauthorize the Higher Education Act in a comprehensive way.”
“Again I want to thank each of my colleagues for their work—and I look forward to more to come.”
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