Congressman Fattah Introduces Resolution Recognizing President's Community College Plan
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) introduced a House resolution today, H.Con. Res. 10, supporting President Obama's recently announced College Promise plan that would make community college free for responsible students. The program—highlighted in the President's State of the Union Address last week—has the potential to impact nine million students across the United States.
Fattah, a leading Congressional advocate for college access and educational equity, called on Congress to support the goals of America's College Promise proposal and pursue strategies in the new legislative session that will make college more affordable and accessible for all students.
"Community college opens doors for so many individuals in our communities—both young and old, people of all stripes and backgrounds. I am thrilled by the President's proposal to help ensure that millions more individuals have the ability to obtain a higher education degree," Congressman Fattah said. "Expanding access and opportunity to higher education by offering two years of free community college will result in sending more educated, trained people into the workforce and ultimately boosting our nation's competitive edge. I am excited to join with my colleagues in Congress to take up this proposal and work towards passing this idea into law."
The President's plan, modeled after successful initiatives in Tennessee and Chicago, would allow students to earn the first half of a bachelor's degree or the technical skills required to obtain a high wage job—at no cost to them. If all 50 states participated, there is potential for nine million students to benefit from the plan. Currently, approximately 40 percent of undergraduate students attend one of 1,100 community colleges across the country.
The resolution, which recognizes the challenges associated with the rising costs of a college education, continues Fattah's push to make education more accessible to all. Since entering Congress, he has worked to promote initiatives that graduate more of the country's young people from both high school and college. He is architect of GEAR UP, the nation's leading college readiness program that was signed into law by President Clinton and has served more than 13 million students nationwide. Fattah is also co-creator of the Department of Education's Equity and Excellence Commission, a bipartisan group that has advised the Department how to remedy the inequity in the country's public education system.
SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah
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