Harkin Praises House Passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act As Chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, Harkin intends to mark up similar legislation this Fall

Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) praised the U.S. House of Representatives today for passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act by a vote of 253 to 171. Consistent with the momentous agenda to increase education success laid out by President Obama, the House legislation provides for significant increases in the maximum Pell Grant awards as well as major new investments in America’s community colleges and state early learning programs. It has been heralded as the single greatest investment in higher education with the exception of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Senator Harkin chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which intends to mark up similar legislation soon.

“In his address to the joint session of Congress in February, President Obama laid out a clear vision of returning America to the nation with the highest proportion of college graduates in the world,” Senator Harkin said. “Today’s House vote moves us towards that goal by passing vital legislation to strengthen our education system and increase the promise of an affordable college education for all students. High quality education is vital to the success of our people, the health of our communities and the prosperity of our nation. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues on the Senate HELP Committee to move similar legislation this fall.”

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