REP. BOYDA, THS SENIOR KELLY JACOBSEN JOINED MORNING NEWS CONFERENCE WITH SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This afternoon, Topeka High School senior Kelly Jacobsen joined the Speaker of the House, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District), and eight other Members of Congress for a press conference in Washington, D.C. to highlight the accomplishments of the 110th Congress. Ms. Jacobsen shared her first-hand perspective on how the landmark College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 will open new opportunities to Kansas students.

In early October, Ms. Jacobsen attended a press conference at Topeka High School, where Rep. Boyda and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer spoke together about the College Cost Reduction Act. Afterwards, Ms. Jacobsen wrote an article for the Topeka Capital-Journal highlighting how the bill would help her to pay for college.

"With the average annual price tag for a public university ringing up around $12,800, I feel I should be taking a hammer to my piggy bank," Ms. Jacobsen wrote. "But there may be light at the bottom of the bank account, thanks to the College Cost Reduction Act, which the Senate and the House of Representatives passed this past week."

Among the provisions of the College Cost Reduction Act is a $490 increase in the maximum Pell Grant next year and $1,350 over the next five years. The law also cuts in half the interest rates for federal student loans, saving the average Kansas student about $4,420 over the life of their loan. The total benefit to Kansas students is expected to total $282,419,000 over five years.

Rep. Boyda said, "When I read Kelly's article, I saw a moving, first-hand perspective on the difficulty of paying for college. Her story drove home for me, and I'm sure for others, that the College Cost Reduction Act will make a real difference in the lives of Kansans."

Earlier this month, as the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives began to organize a major press conference to mark the 110th Congress' first year in office, Rep. Boyda remembered Ms. Jacobsen's article. Rep. Boyda's office contacted Ms. Jacobsen and asked her to fly to D.C. to share, in front of the Speaker of the House and a nationwide television audience, her thoughts on how Kansans will benefit from expanded college aid.

Rep. Boyda added, "I couldn't imagine anyone better than Kelly to speak for Kansans about the College Cost Reduction Act. When Congress passes a law that invests billions of dollars in college aid, it's easy to forget that every one of those dollars helps a real student with a face and a story. This conference was a way to say, 'We're helping Kelly, and we're helping millions of others like her across America.'"

Rep. Boyda and Ms. Jacobsen were joined by the Speaker of the House, the House Majority Leader, Rep. Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania Eighteenth District), Rep. Harry Mitchell (Arizona Fifth District), Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (Texas Twenty-Third District), Majority Whip James Clyburn (South Carolina Sixth District), Rep. Melissa Bean (Illinois Eighth District), and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Illinois Fifth District). The other Members of Congress each highlighted a different accomplishment of the 110th Congress, including bills to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, to raise the minimum wage, and to restore honesty and accountability to the federal government.