ENZI CALLS ON HOUSE DEMOCRAT LEADERS TO ACT NOW ON BILL TO REAUTHORIZE AND REFORM HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member ofthe Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today commendedPresident Bush for signing into law the first step toward making college more affordableand accessible, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, but said thatCongress must act now on the Higher Education Amendments of 2007, S. 1642, toprovide the kind of reforms students and working families need now. “I am grateful that the President is standing with Senator Kennedy and me as wework with the House to sign into law a comprehensive reauthorization of the HigherEducation Act,” Enzi said. “The reconciliation bill signed today takes important steps toincrease grant aid to students in college, but our work is only half done without theimportant, bipartisan reforms included in the reauthorization bill.” “I was especially pleased hear the President place priority on year-round Pellgrants and commit to working with Congress to get that done. The Senate has alreadypassed the year-round Pell grant provision as part of S. 1642, which moved through theSenate on a vote of 95 – 0. How long will House Democrat leaders stall our bipartisanefforts to deal with improving and updating programs like the Pell grant? Now is thetime to get comprehensive higher education reform, before we tackle No Child LeftBehind,” Enzi said. The Higher Education Act expired in September, 2004, and has since beenextended eight times, but is still due for reauthorization. Enzi urged leaders in the Houseof Representatives to mark up reauthorization legislation similar to S. 1642 by October15. ###