Madison, WI -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today emphasized the need to
support federal student loan and grant programs at Madison East High
School. Feingold highlighted his amendment calling for at least a $200
increase in the maximum Pell Grant award, which was recently accepted as
part of the Senate Budget Resolution, and he also outlined his efforts to
combat scholarship scams.
"Making higher education more accessible and easing the debt burden on
students have got to be higher congressional priorities," Feingold said.
"Pell Grants give students up-front, direct support to continue their
education, so I was very pleased yesterday when the Senate Budget
Committee accepted my amendment to ensure that we see at least a $200
increase in Pell Grants in the next fiscal year."
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 30th Listening Session of 2000, and
534th since he was first elected in 1992, was held at Madison
East High School, beginning at 2 p.m.
