Pocan and Stefanik Call for Vote to Extend Perkins Loans as More Than 220 Members Join as Cosponsors
Currently 222 members of the House, both Democrats and Republicans, are cosponsors of H.R. 2482, the Perkins Loans Extension Act, which comes as the program is set to expire on Saturday
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Elise Stefanik (NY-21) today called for a vote on H.R. 2482, the Perkins Loans Extension Act after more than half of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed on as cosponsors. With the Perkins Loan program scheduled to expire on September 30, 2017, Congress must reauthorize the program, or 500,000 students across the country will not be able to access much-needed financial aid.
“With more than half of the U.S. House of Representatives supporting the Perkins Loans Extension Act, we should immediately bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Hundreds of thousands of students across the country are counting on Congress to act by September 30 to reauthorize this program or their futures will be in jeopardy,” said Pocan. “These students attend colleges and universities across the country and the Perkins Loans program gives them the opportunity to access an education they would otherwise be unable to afford. No American should ever be denied the opportunity to achieve their dreams, especially when they have worked hard and are the first in their family to attend college, as many Perkins Loans recipients are.”
“I want to thank my colleagues for lending their voice and their support to this important effort,” said Stefanik. “A half million students across the country will lose access to critical financial aid without action by Congress, so I’m pleased that a majority of my House colleagues have joined in support of H.R. 2482 – the Perkins Loan Extension Act. When I speak to students and families across my district, college affordability continues to be a major challenge. The Perkins Loan program is a critical tool to support low and middle income students, and I urge the House to swiftly pass this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to help students across the country achieve their dreams.”
Pocan and Stefanik led the introduction of H.R. 2482, the Perkins Loan Extension Act, which extends the Perkins Loan Program for a period of 2 years so that students currently enrolled in the program can continue to receive financial aid. The legislation currently has 221 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and is supported by more than 30 education based organizations and more than 80 universities. Companion legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Susan Collins (R-ME).
Bipartisan Legislation to Support the Perkins Loan Program
Cosponsors (222): Adams, Bacon, Barragán, Barletta, Beatty, Bera, Beyer, Sanford Bishop, Blumenauer, Blunt-Rochester, Bonamici, Bordallo, Boyle, Brady, Brown, Brownley, Bustos, Butterfield, Capuano, Cardenas, Carson, Cartwright, Carbajal, Castor, Castro, Chu, Christ, Cicilline, Clark, Clarke, Lacy Clay, Cleaver, Cohen, Cole, Collins, Correa, Conyers, Connolly, Cook, Cooper, Costa, Costello, Courtney, Crowley, Cuellar, Cummings, Curbello, Danny Rodney Davis, Susan Davis, DeFazio, DeGette, Delaney, Dent, DeLauro, DelBene, Deutch, Demings, DeSaulnier, Dingell, Donovan, Doggett, Mike Doyle, Duncan, Ellison, Engel, Eshoo, Espaillat, Esty, Evans, Faso, Foster, Frankel, Fudge, Gallagher, Gallego, Garamendi, Jimmy Gomez, Gonzalez, Gottheimer, Al Green, Grijalva, Green, Grothman, Gutierrez, Hanabusa, Hastings, Heck, Brian Higgins, Himes, Hoyer, Huffman, Hultgren, Jayapal, Jackson-Lee, Jeffries, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Hank Johnson, Kaptur, Katko, Kelly, Keating, Kennedy, Khanna, Kihuen, Kildee, Kilmer, Kind, Kuster, King, Krishnamoorthi, Langevin, Larsen, Larson, Lawrence, Lawson, Lee, Levin, John Lewis, Lieu, Lipinski, Loebsack, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Lowey, Ben Ray Luján, Lynch, Carolyn Maloney, Matsui, Sean Patrick Maloney, McCollum, McEachin, McGovern, McMorris Rodgers, McNerney, Meehan, Meeks, Meng, Mitchell, Messer, Moore, Moulton, Stephanie Murphy, Nadler, Napalitano, Neal, Noem, Nolan, Norcross, Norton, O’Halleran, O’Rourke, Pallone, Panetta, Pascrell, Donald M. Payne, Jr. Perlmutter, Peters, Peterson, Pingree, Pocan, Polis, Price, Quigley, Raskin, Reed, Cedric Richmond, Kathleen Rice, Rosen, Ros-Lehtinen, Rothfus, Roybal-Allard, Raul Ruiz, Ruppersberger, Rush, Tim Ryan, Sanchez, Sarbanes, Terri Sewell, Schakowsky, Schiff, Bobby Scott, David Scott, Serrano, Sinema, Sires, Schrader, Shea-Porter, Slaughter, Adam Smith, Smucker, Soto, Speier, Stivers, Suozzi, Swalwell, Takano, Tenney, Bennie Thompson, Glenn Thompson, Mike Thompson, Tonko, Torres, Titus, Tsongas, Vargas, Valadao, Veasey, Vela, Velazquez, Visclosky, Tim Walz, Wasserman-Schultz, Waters, Watson-Coleman, Welch, Wilson, Yarmuth, Young, Zelden.
Dear Colleague-
Please join us in supporting the bipartisan Perkins Loan Extension Act, H.R. 2482, a bill which extends the Perkins Loan Program for a period of 2 years so that students currently enrolled in the program can continue to receive financial aid.
Perkins Loans are need-based loans which foster access to higher education for low income students by providing low interest loans to students in need. Perkins Loans borrowers are predominantly from lower income families and are often the first in their family to attend college.
Unlike many other student loan programs, Perkins is administered directly by colleges and universities who originate the loans, counsel their students through repayment, and select contractors for servicing and collection.
Colleges and Universities tailor the program to best fit borrowers’ and institutions’ situations. Perkins is a risk-sharing program with institutions contributing one-third of their students’ awards. This “ownership interest” also contributes to the successful management of this vital program.
-67% of Perkins borrowers are dependent students, 34% of whom are from families with household incomes of less than $30,000.
-20% of Perkins borrowers are independent students, 70% of whom have personal incomes of less than $20,000.
The Perkins Loan program is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2017 if Congress does not act to reauthorize this program. If the Perkins Loan is eliminated, around 500,000 students across the country will not be able to access much-needed financial aid. Please contact Patrick Hester in Rep. Stefanik’s office or Alicia Molt in Rep. Pocan’s office to be added as cosponsor.
Organizational Support (31):
Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, American Veterinary Medical Association, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, Association of Research Libraries, Board of Directors for the Indiana Association of College and University Business Officers , Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, Council for Opportunity in Education, Kentucky Association of Student Receivable Officers, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Education Association (NEA), NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education , National Association Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Nebraska Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, New Jersey Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association (NYSFAAA), Oklahoma State University, Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, University of California System, University of Maryland System, United Negro College Fund, Utah Association of Student Loan Administrators, Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA), Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
University Support (84):
Adelphi University, Augustana College, Austin College, Arizona State University, Ball State University, Biola University, Boston College, Butler University, University of California System, Chicago State University, Coe College, The College of New Rochelle, College of Saint Mary, The College of William and Mary, Columbia University, Creighton University, D’Youville College, Daemen College, Dartmouth College, DeVry University, Drexel University, Eastern Kentucky University, Emerson College, Fairleigh Dickenson, Fordham University, Florida Institute of Technology, George Washington University School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Gonzaga University, Golden Gate University Hobart and William Smith Colleges, La Salle University, Loyola University Chicago, Le Moyne College, Marquette University, University of Michigan, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Molloy College, Morehouse College, New York Law School, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Ohio University, Otterbein University, Regis University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester, Saint Louis University, Santa Clara University, University of San Francisco, Seton Hall University, Smith College, South Dakota State University, Southeast Missouri University, Southern Methodist University, Southern Utah University, Spring Hill College, St. Olaf College, St. John Fischer College, Suffolk University, State University of New York System (SUNY), Tabor College, University of Washington, Temple University, Trevecca Nazarene University of Tulsa, University, University of Bridgeport, University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Montana, University of New Hampshire, University of Oregon, University of Pennsylvania, University of Portland, University of Southern California, University of the Pacific, Temple University, Union College, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Valparaiso University, Virginia State University, Wayne College, Western University of Health Sciences, Widener University, Wheaton College, Xavier University
Press Contact
Ron Boehmer, 202-225-2906
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