By a vote of 264 to 153, the House passed its FY 2010 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations spending bill (H.R. 3293) on Friday. The bill would provide level funding for most Title IV discretionary programs. The bill would set the appropriated amount of the Pell Grant to a maximum award of $4,860. A scheduled mandatory increase from the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) would add an additional $690 to the appropriated amount, bringing the total Federal Pell Grant to $5,550 for the 2010-11 award year.

The appropriations bill would also provide $868 million for the TRIO programs and $333 million for GEAR UP, $20 million above FY 2009 levels. Those increases are estimated to assist 51,000 additional disadvantaged and first-generation college students prepare and complete college, according to a House Bill Summary.

This appropriations spending bill is moving separately from the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221), a bill that would eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and redirect those savings to increasing and indexing the Pell Grant and funding multiple other K-12 and post secondary education programs. While the appropriations bill would provide discretionary funding for several Title IV programs, H.R. 3221 is moving independently to meet mandated savings requirements set forth by the Budget Resolution.

Among the amendments submitted for consideration on Friday was a Republican amendment to retain FFELP, which Democrats refused to consider. The only higher education amendment accepted on Friday was an amendment included in the Manager's amendment to fund the Modeling and Simulation Program that was introduced and authorized in the Higher Education Opportunity Act. That program awards competitive grants to institutions of higher education to enhance modeling and simulation degree programs. "Modeling and simulation" is defined as "a field of study related to the application of computer science and mathematics to develop a level of understanding of the interaction of the parts of a system and of a system as a whole."

The Senate Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to markup its FY 2010 education appropriations bill tomorrow, with Senate Appropriations Full Committee scheduled to markup on Thursday.

Program	2009 Appropriation	2010 House Passed
Pell Grants (Discretionary)	$17,288,000	$17,783,395
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants	757,465	757,465
Work Study	980,492	980,492
Perkins Loan cancellations	67,164	49,701
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships	63,852	63,852
Academic Competitiveness /SMART Grants	0	0
TEACH Grants	0	0
TRIO programs	848,089	868,089
Gear Up	313,212	333,212
Byrd Scholarships	40,642	40,642
Javits Fellowships	9,687	9,687

Additional Resources

Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 3293 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Media Coverage

Help From the House (Inside Higher Ed)

By Justin Draeger
Vice President of Public Policy, Advocacy, and Research

Posted 07/27/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.