Foster speaks at NIU
By KATE SCHOTT - kschott@shawsuburban.com
DeKALB – U.S. Rep. Bill Foster encouraged students Monday during a visit to Northern Illinois University to contact the state’s U.S. senators to voice their opinions on legislation that would increase the amount of money handed out to those pursuing a higher education.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act was approved by the House in September and was referred to the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, according to the Library of Congress’s legislative Web site. No action has been taken since Sept. 22, according to the Web site.
Foster, a Democrat from Batavia, said the proposed measure was the largest single increase in college aid in American history. And it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime, he added.
An estimated $87 billion, over 10 years, will be saved by the U.S. Department of Education providing government loans directly to individuals instead of through banks and other lenders, he said, quoting figures provided by the Congressional Budget Office. Of that, $77 billion would be invested into education, he said, and $10 billion used to pay down debt.
“You need to get involved, and call your senators,” Foster told a crowd of students gathered in the Sky Room of the Holmes Student Center. “This issue is too important to let sit.”
Among the proposed measure’s aims would be to increase government grant and loan assistance for college tuition payments, he said. Pell Grants, which are given to students from low-income families, would increase to $6,900 by 2019 from the $5,350 they are at today.
The legislation also keeps interest rates low on government subsidized loans, makes substantial investments in early childhood education, expands the Perkins low-cost loan program to every U.S. college and simplifies the process of applying for student financial aid.
Foster said he was “optimistic” that the legislation would pass the Senate.
Foster also used the appearance to promote legislation he said he had drafted that would provide what he called “open source textbooks,” where students could download their books for free.
“It’s just plain progress,” he said of the idea, although he noted that textbook companies probably “will not be uniformly enthusiastic” about the proposal.
A number of professors might be willing to put their books online for free, Foster said, if it meant that publication would be considered a national standard. The program could be paid for through funding already budgeted to federal agencies to be used for educational purposes, he added.
