My Letter to Congress: S.3219 Fairness for Struggling Students Act of 2010

I am writing as your constituent in the 5th Congressional district of Illinois. I am writing as your constituent in the 5th Congressional district of Illinois. I am writing as your constituent in the 5th Congressional district of Illinois. I support S.3219 - Fairness for Struggling Students Act of 2010, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

Please make a change to the issue of Private student loans, as they are creating undue and unjust circumstances for today's graduates. This negates the reason for college and is a detriment not only to our lives, but to the country as a whole. Something needs to change, so that we create opportunities for growth, instead of coming short of our future goals.
Sincerely,
Marta Galek

Dear Friend:

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office. Your thoughts are
very important to me. We read each message sent and appreciate your
patience, as we receive more than 5,000 comments per day.

Sincerely,

Mark Kirk
United States Senator

Dear Mrs. Galek:



Thank you for contacting me regarding college costs and student debt. I
appreciate your thoughts on this important issue.



Completing a college education is one of the most important things a
young son or daughter can do. On average, college graduates will earn
nearly one million dollars more over their lifetimes than high school
graduates. Moreover, a college education is important for success in a
globalized world. In today's economy, our ability to educate our
students is directly linked to American competitiveness.



Yet college tuition is rising rapidly. In Illinois, the average
in-state college cost is more than $15,000-private school is more than
$30,000. Increasing tuition makes it more difficult for American
families to obtain a quality education for their children. Congress
should do everything it can to ensure the opportunity for all young
Americans to attain a college degree to compete and succeed in the 21st
century economy.



I have always been a strong supporter of finding ways to help families
pay for college. That is why, during my time in the House of
Representatives, I was an original cosponsor of H.R. 30, the 401Kids
Family Savings Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Judy Biggert
(R-IL). I believe Congress should authorize this program to allow
parents to establish savings accounts for their children the day they
are born. I was also proud to support the Post-9/11 Veterans
Educational Assistance Act of 2008, introduced by Senator Jim Webb
(D-VA), which made the benefit for our new veterans just as good as the
one their grandparents received when they beat the Nazis and the
Japanese.


Still, the foundation for all federal financial aid is the Pell Grant.
Established as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant in 1972 and
later renamed for Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI), these need-based
grants enable college access for millions of students across the
country. Recognizing the importance of this program, Congress increased
the total maximum award available to each Pell Grant applicant to
$5,550-a 37% increase between award year (AY) 2006 and AY 2010. This
increase coincided with a 57% increase in grant recipients between AY
2006 and AY 2009. Combined, these two factors increased total Pell
Grant expenditures to an estimated $28.4 billion in AY 2009-a 122%
increase since AY 2006.



While I remain committed to expanding college opportunities for all
students, I am greatly concerned about our national debt and believe
that Congress needs to change course from spending money that we do not
have. We will need shared sacrifice across government as we work to
balance the budget and pay down debt. On April 8, 2011, Republicans and
Democrats came together at the eleventh hour to avert a government
shutdown by agreeing to a budget for the remainder of fiscal year (FY)
2011. I supported this agreement, which became the Department of
Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 1473). This
measure cut $38 billion in spending authority and included a 0.2%
across the board reduction. However, it did not lower the maximum Pell
Grant award level from $5,550, showing our commitment to our college
students remains strong during these tough budget times.



Even with Pell Grants, however, many students are left with a large
tuition burden. Since 1980, college expenses rose faster than
inflation, financial aid to students or family income, and many
students remain deep in debt long after they graduate. In fact,
Americans now own more debt from student loans than credit cards, and
according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, outstanding student
loans will total more than $1 trillion for the first time this year.



During my 10 years in the House of Representatives, I supported a
number of measures to relieve college debt, including H.R. 5, the
College Student Relief Act, which passed the House on January 17, 2007.
This bill made college more affordable and accessible by cutting the
interest rates on subsidized student loans in half - from 6.8 percent
to 3.4 percent. I also voted for the Higher Education Opportunity and
Affordability Act, H.R. 4137, which became law on August 14, 2008. This
legislation encouraged colleges to limit price increases for tuition,
restore accountability to student loan programs and simplify the
student aid application process. It also made textbook prices more
manageable and expanded college support for low income and minority
students.



Recently, President Obama announced a plan to modify the existing
Income-Based Repayment Program (IBP). The plan creates an incentive for
students who currently hold a Family Federal Education Loan (FFEL) and
a Direct Loan to consolidate. While I applaud the President for trying
to facilitate lower payments on student loans, estimates show that this
plan would only affect 16 percent of loan holders and provide savings
between $4.50 and $7.75 per month. The plan would also lower the cap on
monthly payments from 15 percent to 10 percent of discretionary income
and forgive outstanding loan balances after 20 years as opposed to 25
years. Unfortunately, this proposal will only reach 4% of loan holders.
I worry that the President's proposal will not do enough to help
struggling loan holders.



I very much recognize your concern for the rising costs of attending
college. As we advance economic competitiveness by promoting college
completion, we must ensure that we are not putting Americans on the
path to a lifetime of debt. I will keep your thoughts in mind as the
Congress works to identify productive measures to expand access to
college, reduce its costs and ease the growing burden of student debt.





Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. To stay informed on
important issues, I encourage you to visit my website at
http://kirk.senate.gov and my Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/SenatorKirk.



Very truly yours,

Mark Kirk
U.S. Senate




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