TEXAS
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES STAND TO GAIN $408 MILLION UNDER
RECOVERY PACKAGE
Washington, Jan
29 -
Congressman
Henry Cuellar announced today that
Texas
colleges and universities stand to gain an estimated $408,415,000 under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which the U.S. House of
Representatives passed yesterday on a 244-188 vote.
The
funding estimate appeared in a recent report by the Congressional Research
Service (CRS), the nonpartisan research arm of Congress.
The
funding represents
Texas’
share of $6 billion in 2009 funding for state higher education agencies (SEAs)
to use for school modernization, renovation, and repair. SEAs may make
subgrants to public and private not-for-profit postsecondary schools to
modernize, renovate, or repair facilities that are primarily used for
instruction, research, or student housing.
Congressman
Cuellar said, “Not only is this an historic investment in
Texas students – it’s also smart economic
policy. These funds will create jobs right away, and the infrastructure
they build will improve
Texas
education and strengthen our economy for years to come.”
The
recovery legislation includes several further momentous investments in
Texas students:
- Expands the “Hope
Credit” for college tuition costs. The bill temporarily expands the
maximum federal “Hope Credit” from $1,800 to $2,500 and makes it partially
refundable, allowing the credit to reach an additional 346,000 Texans.
- Increases the
maximum Pell Grant by $500. The increase is expected to invest
$15.6 billion in higher education nationwide over the next two years,
benefiting 7 million students nationwide.
- Adds $490 million
to the College Work-Study Program. The new funding will offer an
additional 200,000 students nationwide the opportunity to afford a higher
education through their own hard work.
- Raises the limit on
unsubsidized
Stafford loans by $2,000, helping students
living on the financial edge to afford a college degree.
As the
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities has stated,
“Together these proposals mean that low-income students and families on the
brink of stopping or dropping out of their higher education plans can stay in,
and that unemployed workers can choose retraining for a new job.”
Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland
Security and Agriculture Committees in the 111th Congress. Accessibility
to constituents, education, health care, economic development, and national
security are his priorities.Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip and
member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
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