Chilton, WI -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today discussed his efforts
to increase funding for Pell Grants and to combat scholarship scams that
prey on students trying to finance their education.
"When the U.S. Senate voted for the Kennedy-Feingold amendment to
increase the maximum Pell Grant by $400 earlier this month, it gave some
new life to the neglected ideal that every qualified student deserves
equal access to higher education," Feingold said. "But then the increase
was stripped out by a conference committee. That’s a blow to the hopes of
students already struggling to pay for college. Students can’t wait any
longer for badly needed grant funding: It’s time for the Senate to make
higher education funding a higher priority by putting a Pell Grant
increase on the President’s desk.
Feingold has also worked to stop the rapid spread of scholarship scams,
where students who are promised "free money" to use toward their tuition
are being tricked into paying so-called processing fees that are never
returned, for a scholarship that is never received. To crack down on these
scholarship scams, Feingold became an original cosponsor of the College
Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act of 1999. This bill, which unanimously
passed the Senate late last year, encourages the Justice Department to
pursue and prosecute more scam artists, and provide an additional ten
years’ imprisonment and add additional fines in fraud cases which involve
offering of education services.
"The bottom line is that we should be offering incentives to higher
education in this country, not roadblocks," Feingold said. "As this
Congress continues, I’ll keep pushing for the higher education funding
that the students of today need to build a successful future for
themselves, and brighter future for the nation."
Feingold's 32nd Listening Session of 2000, and
536th since he was first elected in 1992, was held at Chilton
High School, beginning at 9 a.m. Feingold’s 33rd Listening
Session of 2000, and 537th since he was first elected, was held
at Kaukauna City Hall beginning at 11:45
a.m.
