TheWeekInCongress

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending December 10, 2004

HR 4012 reauthorizes for five years the public and private school tuition assistance programs for the District of Columbia

BRIEF

The bill extends a program established in 1999 that provides tuition assistance to District high school graduates who want to attend colleges and universities in other States.

Qualified graduates can receive up to $10,000 annually to attend out any public college or university or $2,500 to attend any private sollege in the District or surrounding areas.

The provision was originally established because the District does not have a State university system for high school graduates. State that have state institutions provide tuition to State residents. District high school graduates, under the program are provided assistance allowing them to attend state colleges in other States at the in-state rate there.

The first five years of the program were successful enough to warrant another five years of assistance; since the program began the number of DC graduates attending colleges increased 28 percent compared to the national increase of 5 percent. 6,000 have attended 150 colleges nation wide.

Sponsor: Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA-11^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote (July 14, 2004) Passed Senate amended by Unanimous Consent (Nov24, 2004) House agreed to Senate amendment by voice vote (Dec.6, 2004)

Cost to the taxpayers: ‘CBO estimates that H.R. 4012 would result in additional discretionary spending of $106 million over the 2006-2009 period.’