Norton Engineers Early Vote for DCTAG (3/29/2007)
Norton Engineers Early Vote for DCTAG as Critical Metro Funding is Added to Markup
March 29, 2007
Washington, DC-Two of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's (D-DC) top priorities-funding for District college students and funding for Metro-- received quick approval at the Oversight and Government Reform Committee mark-up today and were sent to the House floor for expected passage when Congress returns from recess in two weeks. Just two days ago, Norton got D.C. subcommittee passage of H.R. 1124, the District of Columbia College Access Act, extending the D.C. Tuition Access Grant Program (DCTAG) for another five years. She said that today's full committee approval, despite the rush of business before spring recess, is an indication of the strength and value of DCTAG. Norton's bill, co-authored with Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), whose leadership has been critical to passage, is scheduled to expire September 30, the end of the fiscal year. In her remarks at the committee markup Norton said she would be pressing Democratic leaders for early consideration on the House floor next month to ensure continuation of the popular and highly successful program without interruption. She also stressed the importance of the bill to the future of the city's economy.
H.R. 401, the National Capital Transportation Amendments Act, which also passed today, authorizes $1.5 billion in federal funds for capital improvements and critical preventive maintenance for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), with a 50 percent state or local match. Sponsored by Norton, Davis and other members of the regional delegation, the bill also would establish an inspector general and includes other measures to foster Metro accountability. Norton said, "The federal government has a unique and pressing obligation to assist the region with Metro, considering the almost 200,000 federal workers who depend on the system and the government's dependence on these employees."
As for the College Access Act, Norton cited the impressive college graduation rate as evidence that DCTAG has delivered on the federal investment. For example, of the 1,091 DCTAG freshmen in 2001-2002, 73 percent returned as sophomores. Of that group, 79 percent returned as juniors, 82 percent as seniors and 77 percent of the seniors graduated. For the 2005-2006 school year, almost 5,000 students received funding from DCTAG to enroll in 646 universities and colleges in 47 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the program is credited with a 60 percent increase in college attendance over five years. DCTAG acts as a substitute for a state university system for the District, which unlike every state, has only one open admissions state university, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).
As DCTAG moved, Norton also insisted on Historically Black College and University (HBCU) funding for UDC that the District had long sought, and the university has received thousands of dollars in HBCU funding since 1999. This bill provides multiple higher education opportunities for D.C. students by granting up to $10,000 annually, which covers the difference between in-state tuition at most public colleges, or up to $2,500 annually to attend private institutions in the city and region.
"It is difficult to think of congressional legislation that has brought such immediate and positive results so quickly or that is more appreciated by D.C. residents," Norton said. "To be sure, our D.C. homebuyer and business tax credits, unique to the District and reauthorized again last year, have had similar measurable and documented effects on increasing home ownership and keeping taxpaying residents and businesses in the city. However, if there are to be homeowners and taxpayers in the District of Columbia in the 21st century, many more of them must have college training." The regional business community, led by Donald Graham, Chairman of The Washington Post, who established the College Access Program, a complimentary privately funded program, and President Bush also have shown confidence in DCTAG. The President included $35 million in his FY 08 budget request, $2 million more than current funding, and "a sure signal that he will sign our bill when it lands on his desk." Norton said.
The full text of Norton's committee statement for the College Access Act follows.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman for bringing the D.C. College Access Act (CAA) reauthorization before the full committee for early mark-up this year and for your championship of the bill. This important bill expires at the end of this year. May I thank Chairman Danny K. Davis for making this bill the first mark-up bill in his subcommittee and for cosponsoring the bill. A special thanks is particularly due to committee Ranking Member and co-author Tom Davis for his strong and indispensable leadership on this legislation when he was chair of the full Committee and for his continued strong support of DCTAG.
This legislation is already returning unusually large dividends for the federal investment. DCTAG has increased the college attendance of D.C. students by an astonishing 60 percent over five years. For the 2005-2006 school year, almost 5,000 students received funding from DCTAG to enroll in 646 universities and colleges in 47 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Most of these students are the first in their families to attend college. These documented results represent the city's most important progress toward developing a workforce that can meet the increasing education requirements for employment at average wages in the region.
DCTAG acts as a proxy and a substitute for a state university system for the District, which has an open admissions state university, the University of the District of Columbia, but unlike every state, has no unified system of several colleges and universities. UDC, supported entirely by the city and tuitions, as students who must get their education in one District, is itself so indispensable to the city that I used the opportunity provided by the CAA to achieve funded Historically Black Colleges status that the city had long sought for UDC. As a result UDC has received an attractive annual HBCU payment since 1999. However, this bill provides higher education access to young people here equivalent to opportunities available in all the states, rather than only one University, and increases the number of choices necessary to meet today's D.C. student population. Maryland and Virginia, for example each provide more than 30 different college options to residents. DCTAG provides up to $10,000 annually, which covers state college tuition at most public colleges, or provides up to $2,500 annually to attend private institutions in the city and region.
It is difficult to think of congressional legislation that has brought such immediate and positive results or that is more appreciated by D.C. residents. To be sure, our D.C. homebuyer and business tax credits, unique to the District and reauthorized again last year, have had similar measurable and documented effects on increasing home ownership and keeping taxpaying residents and businesses in the city. However, if there are to be homeowners and taxpayers in District of Columbia in the 21st century, many more of them must have college training. The economy of this federal city will always be tied to federal jobs. The stability of the federal sector here has been indispensable to many aspects of the city's economy but too few of the public and private sector jobs go to DC residents. For example, the District continues to be a virtual job machine for the region. The District created 8,500 jobs in the last 12 months, but its unemployment rate remains almost twice the rate in this region. This disparity represents an education and training mismatch that must be eliminated to assume a decent future for the city's young residents.
DCTAG has enjoyed strong bipartisan support since it was created in 1999. Earlier this year, the President indicated his confidence in the program by including $35 million for DCTAG in his FY08 budget request, $2 million more than current funding. The D.C. State Education Office deserves special credit for working diligently and successfully since the bill was enacted to maintain solid administration of the program. The District has even moved ahead of the curve to foreclose any future funding shortfalls by engaging in careful planning and calculations, measuring expected demand and costs and has made adjustments in offerings accordingly. We are particularly grateful of business leaders in the region, led by Donald Graham, Chairman of the Washington Post, who was instrumental in helping to convince Congress of the necessity for the bill. However, Donald Graham and the business leaders did not stop there. They established the College Access Program (CAP) which provides additional financial support. More important CAP provides essential guidance and encouragement to students as they reach the critical time decision for college. However, CAP provides a support network that has resulted in excellent retention rates. For example, of the 1,091 DCTAG Freshman in 2001-2002, 73% returned as sophomores. Of that, 79% returned as juniors, 82% as seniors and 77% of the seniors graduated. CAP's 100% private funding by business leaders, most from the region, not the city, is nothing less than a vote of confidence in DCTAG that I believe is warranted by the legislation's documented results.
Achieving reauthorization of H.R. 1124 is one of my top priorities this year because of the program's proven benefits to the economy of the city and region and especially to the city's students and families. Families have been willing to make the necessary sacrifices to meet the cost of large annual increases in state tuition nationwide, despite the modest family incomes of most of our students. This immensely successful and popular higher education program has proven itself. Of any measure, H.R. 1124 deserves continuing support.
I appreciate the strong bipartisan support this vital federal educational assistance program has received and ask for the continued support. I believe the results fostered by the program have earned our support.