House Panel Approves 2008 Student-Aid Appropriations

A U.S. House committee has approved a fiscal-2008 appropriations bill that would increase the maximum Pell-Grant award by $390, to $4,700. As part of the same appropriations bill — which would fund programs within the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education — the House Appropriations Committee also voted to restore funding that the Bush administration had proposed to eliminate for several federal student-aid programs. The committee voted to continue current funding levels for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Leveraging Educational Assistance and Perkins-loan cancellation.

The measure also would slightly increase funding for Federal Work-Study, consistent with the administration’s budget request.

Under the proposal, funding for Federal TRIO programs would increase by $40 million and for GEAR UP by $20 million for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.