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Education 
 
As the son of an educator, I know that education is the best investment that we can make in our future. Unfortunately, the federal government continues to fall short on the promises to provide the resources needed in our schools. 
 
Education is the cornerstone to building America’s future. We must make a national commitment to education by strengthening our schools, fully funding special education, and modernizing our classrooms. At the same time, we must work to reduce class size, put in place the means for students to attain higher education, and make sure that we have the best trained, most qualified teachers in the world. I am committed to providing high quality education to all of America’s students, creating a nation ready for the challenges of the 21st century.
 
Because a college education is as important today as high school was a generation ago, the House passed landmark legislation to make college more accessible and affordable for all Americans. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act makes the largest increase in college aid since the GI Bill in 1944, boosting college aid by roughly $20 million dollars over the next five years. 

With the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, the maximum value of the Pell Grant scholarship will increase by $1,090 over the next five years, reaching $5,400 by 2012, up from $4,050 in 2006, thus restoring the Pell’s purchasing power. Some students will see an immediate boost of almost $500 in their Pell Grant scholarship in the 2008-2009 school year alone. Roughly 5.5 million low- and moderate-income students will benefit from this increase.
 
The legislation will also cut interest rates on need-based student loans in half, from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent, over the next four years. Once fully phased-in, this will save the typical student borrower – with $13,800 in need-based student loan debt – $4,400 over the life of the loan. About 6.8 million students take out need-based loans each year.
 
No one should be denied the opportunity to go to college simply because of the price, yet unfortunately, that has been what many American families have been forced to do. Tuition at four-year public colleges has grown by 35 percent in the last five years. Students and families are taking on increasing amounts of debt, and each year nearly 200,000 students are holding off going to college, or skipping it altogether, because they cannot afford it.
 
College is the best investment that students can make in themselves and that parents can make toward the success of their children. It is also the best investment our nation can make in America’s future.
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Butterfield by Disappointed VRA Renewal Delay
June 22, 2006
Washington, DC—Congressman G.K. Butterfield said he is very disappointed with the latest delay in bringing reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act up for a vote in the House.
 
“The House Judiciary Committee held 12 hearings on the legislation,” Butterfield said “Such a period provided more than ample opportunity for House members to review the issue and make their views known. Given how important this is and that it has broad bi-partisan support, it’s very disappointing for this bill to be pulled from consideration.”
Republicans pulled the legislation from consideration on the House floor this week just hours before a planned vote, saying that it was intended to offer members the time needed to evaluate the legislation. Georgian Reps. Lynn A. Westmoreland and Charles Norwood have been among the most vocal opponents of renewing the measure as it stands.
 
Butterfield said that Westmoreland and Norwood offered amendments to the measure that would have “gutted” the legislation and allowed the country to slide back from the progress that has been made over the past 41 years. He also said that he was prepared to make remarks on the floor during debate on the bill.
 
“America has made strides toward ensuring the protection of every American’s right to vote and the Voting Rights Act is a cornerstone of that progress,” Butterfield said. “To weaken or delay reauthorization of this important and historic legislation expresses the willingness to step back in time.”
 
Butterfield offered his congratulations to House Judiciary Chairman James F. Sensenbrenner Jr. for his work in bringing the legislation forward that was acceptable to a vast majority of members. 
 
“The longer this legislation sits without action, the better chance this careful and broad compromise is picked apart by politics,” Butterfield said
 
Earlier this month, Butterfield sent a written request to House Majority Leader John A. Boehner urging that the bi-partisan legislation be promptly scheduled for a House vote.
 
Congress originally passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965 in response to widespread evidence of disenfranchisement of black citizens in several southern states. It protects the rights of citizens to vote primarily by forbidding covered states from using tests of any kind to determine eligibility to vote, by requiring these states to obtain federal approval before enacting any election laws and by assigning federal officials to monitor the registration process in certain localities.
 
The reauthorizing legislation has 152 House co-sponsors, including Butterfield, and was approved by the House Judiciary Committee by a 33 to 1 vote. It appeared that the legislation would move quickly toward vote by the full House until last month when some southern legislators sought and won a delay, according to media reports.
Butterfield said that he is deeply troubled by the delay, and said he feels strongly that a vote needs to take place soon.
 
“More than 8,000 pages of documentation which describe recent discriminatory voting practices were submitted to the House Judiciary Committee during its debate on the bill,” Butterfield said. “The need for these protections remains plain and clear. Unfortunately, the election process continues to be abused – through redistricting schemes, last minute changes of polling locations and outright restrictions on registration for some eligible voters.”
 
Butterfield said that the Voting Rights Act provides an effective mechanism for courts and the Justice Department to address practices that are racially motivated. 
 
“Sadly, racial conflict remains a part of life,” Butterfield said. “We must ensure that this vital protection remains in place to defend people against racial abuses.”