THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK
Tuesday, June 20, 2000
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
HIGHLIGHTING NEW COLLEGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR D.C. RESIDENTS
June 20, 2000
"This fall, more than a thousand young people, many of whom might
never have had the chance, will get the help to go to college. The District of
Columbia College Access Act makes the playing field a little more level for the
children of Washington, D.C. It is one of the best investments we could ever
make."
President Bill Clinton
June 20, 2000
Today, at the White House, President Clinton commemorated the passage of
the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 by witnessing the first
tuition subsidy award under the Tuition Assistance Program to a D.C. high
school graduate for college entrance this fall. The Act improves access to
higher education for D.C. students, authorizes federal financial support for
the University of the District of Columbia, and contributes to the economic
revitalization of the District. The President first proposed this initiative in
his FY 2000 budget, and signed it into law on November 12, 1999. The President
has requested $17 million in his FY 2001 budget to continue funding for this
program, and challenged Congress to pass a budget that invests in the D.C.
College Access Act and other education priorities.
Leveling the Playing Field for D.C. Students. The District of
Columbia College Access Act offers D.C. residents an opportunity to attend
affordable public colleges and universities, similar to the opportunities that
residents of the 50 states already have. D.C. residents who graduated from high
school on or after January 1, 1998 and are enrolled at least half-time in an
undergraduate program are eligible for tuition assistance. Highlights of the
Act include:
-
In-State Tuition at Public Universities. The program will
pay the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for D.C. residents
who attend public colleges and universities anywhere in the country. Each
student can receive up to $10,000 per year and up to $50,000 over a
lifetime;
-
Scholarships for Local Private Universities. District
residents who attend private colleges in the D.C. area as well as private
Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout Maryland and Virginia
can receive scholarships of up to $2,500 per year or $12,500 over a
lifetime;
Opening the Doors of College to All Americans. The Clinton-Gore
Administration's record of opening the doors of college to all Americans
includes:
- More than doubling financial aid from $25 billion in FY 1993 to
nearly $60 billion in FY 2000: the largest investment in higher education since
the G.I. Bill;
- Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits which will provide
over $7 billion in higher education tax relief to 10 million families this
year;
- Student loan reforms that have saved students $9 billion and
taxpayers $6 billion; and
- Larger Pell grants, new opportunities to earn money for college
through work-study and national service, and new and expanded efforts through
TRIO and GEAR UP to help at-risk youth prepare for college.
Urging Congress to Invest More in our Schools and Demand More From
Them. The President's FY 2001 budget includes a $4.5 billion increase in
funding for America's education priorities such as boosting accountability and
investing in proven strategies. Last week, the House passed an appropriations
bill that underfunds this agenda by more than $2.9 billion, which the President
has threatened to veto because it fails to:
- Strengthen accountability and turn around failing schools;
- Fund emergency repairs and renovation of aging schools;
- Expand after-school opportunities;
- Improve teacher quality and reduce class size;
- Adequately fund the Hispanic Education Action Plan, child care, and
investments in Head Start;
- Help prepare low-income students for college through GEAR UP;
and
- Help bridge the digital divide.
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