[DOCID: f:hr112.110]
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110th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 110-112
======================================================================
TO EXTEND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE ACCESS ACT OF 1999
_______
April 30, 2007.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Waxman, from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
together with
ADDITIONAL VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 1124]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Officel
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 1124) to extend the District of
Columbia College Access Act of 1999, having considered the
same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend
that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 2
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Legislative History.............................................. 3
Section-by-Section............................................... 3
Committee Consideration.......................................... 3
Rollcall Votes................................................... 3
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch..................... 3
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the
Committee...................................................... 3
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 3
Constitutional Authority Statement............................... 4
Federal Advisory Committee Act................................... 4
Unfunded Mandates Statement...................................... 4
Earmark Identification........................................... 4
Committee Estimate............................................... 4
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate... 4
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill as Reported............. 6
Additional Views................................................. 8
Purpose and Summary
H.R. 1124, a bill to extend the District of Columbia
College Access Act of 1999, was introduced on February 16,
2007, by Rep. Tom Davis and cosponsored by Rep. Danny K. Davis
and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
The bill reauthorizes for an additional five years the
District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG).
DCTAG will expire on September 30, 2007, unless reauthorized.
Background and Need for Legislation
In 1999, Congress passed P.L. 106-98, the District of
Columbia College Access Act, authorizing the establishment of a
Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG) in the nation's
capital. DCTAG provides limited financial assistance to D.C.
high school graduates pursuing higher education opportunities
in other states. The original legislation authorized funding
for the program for five years (FY00-FY05). In 2004, Congress
reauthorized the College Access Act for an additional two
years, through fiscal year 2007.
The purpose of the District of Columbia College Access Act
is to address the District of Columbia's lack of a state
university system by providing D.C. high school graduates with
access to higher education opportunities available to residents
of other states. The District of Columbia is not a state and
does not have a state education system to provide affordable
higher education opportunities for its high school graduates.
Additionally, the legislation was to deter tax-paying
families in the District from moving to surrounding states in
order to take advantage of in-state higher education options
available to residents in other states. Such moves had been
depriving the District of much needed tax revenue.
DCTAG, administered by the mayor of the District of
Columbia, authorizes the federal government to provide tuition
scholarships to District high school graduates. Under the
program, District students may attend public colleges or
universities in the United States at or near the in-state
tuition rate or receive $2,500 annually to attend certain
private colleges within the Washington Metropolitan area or
private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Funding under DCTAG is capped at $10,000 per year for public
colleges, with a lifetime cap of $50,000 total per student.
DCTAG serves as a substitute for an expanded university system
in the District, which has only one public university, the
University of the District of Columbia.
DCTAG has doubled the total number of District students
attending college since 1999-2000, the school year before the
program started. For the most recent school year, 2005-2006,
DCTAG provided over $30 million in college scholarships for
over 4,700 students enrolled in universities and colleges in 45
states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
To date the program has assisted 11,000 students.
DCTAG is currently funded at $33 million. The President's
budget and the District of Columbia's budget propose increasing
funding for the program to $35.1 million for FY 2008.
Legislative History
H.R. 1124 was introduced on February 16, 2007, and referred
to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and
the District of Columbia, held a hearing on the bill on March
22, 2007. On March 27, 2007, the Subcommittee held a markup to
consider H.R. 1124, and forwarded the bill to Full Committee by
voice-vote. On March 29, 2007, the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform held a markup to consider H.R. 1124, and
ordered the bill reported by voice vote.
Section-by-Section
Section 1. 5-Year reauthorization of Tuition Assistance Programs
This section would reauthorize the Tuition Assistance Grant
Program for an additional five years, through fiscal year 2012.
This section would amend sections 3(i) and 5(f) of the District
of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 by striking ``each of
the 7 succeeding fiscal years'' and inserting ``each of the 12
succeeding fiscal years.''
Committee Consideration
On March 29, 2007, the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform held a markup to consider H.R. 1124, and
ordered the bill reported by voice-vote.
Rollcall Votes
No rollcall votes were held.
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a
description of the application of this bill to the legislative
branch where the bill relates to terms and conditions of
employment or access to public services and accommodations.
This bill provides limited financial assistance to D.C. high
school graduates pursuing higher education opportunities in
colleges and universities in other states. Legislative branch
employees and their families, to the extent that they are
otherwise eligible for the benefits provided by this
legislation, have equal access to its benefits.
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee's performance
goals and objectives are reflected in the descriptive portions
of this report, and include addressing D.C.'s lack of a state
university system by providing limited financial assistance to
D.C. high school graduates pursuing higher education
opportunities in other states.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Under clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, the Committee must include a statement
citing the specific powers granted to Congress to enact the law
proposed by H.R. 1124. Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the
Constitution of the United States grants Congress the power to
enact this law.
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).
Unfunded Mandates Statement
Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement on
whether the provisions of the report include unfunded mandates.
In compliance with this requirement the Committee has received
a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included herein.
Earmark Identification
H.R. 1124 does not include any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of rule XXI.
Committee Estimate
Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out
H.R. 1124. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received
the following cost estimate for H.R. 1124 from the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office:
H.R. 1124--A bill to extend the District of Columbia College Access Act
of 1999
Summary: H.R. 1124 would amend the District of Columbia
College Access Act of 1999 and reauthorize the District of
Columbia tuition assistance grant (DCTAG) program for students
who are residents of Washington, D.C. Current law authorizes
the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary through
fiscal year 2007, and H.R. 1124 would extend this authorization
through fiscal year 2012. CBO estimates that the necessary
appropriations would total $208 million over the 2008-2012
period. Outlays would match this total over the same period.
Enacting the bill would have no significant impact on direct
spending or revenues.
H.R. 1124 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of H.R. 1124 is presented in the following
table. The cost of this legislation falls within budget
function 500 (education, training, employment, and social
services).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
-----------------------------------------------------
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spending Under Current Law:
Budget Authority \1\.................................. 33 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated Outlays..................................... 33 0 0 0 0 0
Proposed Changes:
Estimated Authorization Level......................... 0 30 41 44 46 47
Estimated Outlays..................................... 0 30 41 44 46 47
Spending Under H.R. 1124:
Estimated Authorization Level \1\..................... 33 30 41 44 46 47
Estimated Outlays..................................... 33 30 41 44 46 47
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The 2007 level is the amount appropriated for that year for the D.C. tuition assistance program.
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R.
1124 will be enacted during 2007 and that the estimated amounts
will be appropriated for each year.
Current law
Under current law, DCTAG provides financial assistance to
D.C. residents who attend public colleges outside of the
District of Columbia, private postsecondary institutions in the
District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or any
historically black college or university. The private-school
tuition grants are restricted to nonprofit institutions.
Students who attend public schools receive assistance equal to
the difference between the tuition paid by residents of the
state in which the institution is located and the tuition
charged to nonresident students, with an annual limit of
$10,000 and a lifetime limit of $50,000. Private-school
students receive a $2,500 maximum annual grant, with a lifetime
limit of $12,500.
According to data from the District of Columbia's State
Education Office (SEO), the cost of DCTAG has grown
substantially since the program's inception (academic year
2000-2001). For the 2005-2006 academic year, the most recent
year for which final data are available, just over 3,800
students attending public institutions and 900 students
attending private schools received awards. Both the number of
participants and the size of average award have increased over
time. Growth has been particularly high for students attending
public schools.
Current law authorizes the appropriation of such sums as
may be necessary through fiscal year 2007. The Congress
appropriated $33 million for this program in fiscal year 2007,
although costs will likely exceed this total. Because costs for
DCTAG were lower than the appropriated sums during the early
years of the program, however, the SEO has been able to use
carryover funds to supplement appropriated funds to make grants
in recent years. As a result, the SEO has about $42 million
available for the current academic year. The office has
allocated just over $39 million for this award-year, but
because not all students who receive award letters enroll in
school, SEO's spending for financial assistance will likely be
closer to $35 million. SEO also spends about 3 percent of its
funds on operating costs.
Proposed extension
H.R. 1124 would authorize the appropriation of such sums as
are necessary for DCTAG through 2012. CBO assumes that the SEO
would use all of its estimated $7 million in carryover funds in
2008, so while program costs would probably total almost $38
million, additional federal funds needed to cover those costs
would total only $30 million. CBO estimates that the necessary
appropriations and resulting outlays would total $208 million
over the 2008-2012 period. (Federal funds are disbursed and
outlays are recorded when the SEO receives the funds, not when
it actually makes the grants.) Based on population and high
school graduation projections from the Census Bureau and the
National Center for Education Statistics, respectively, CBO
estimates that the number of participants would continue to
grow, but at a slower rate than in the early years of the
program. In addition, some of the early growth was likely
attributable to recruitment efforts, which would be expected to
have a smaller effect as DCTAG matures.
CBO estimates that a total of about 5,500 students annually
would participate in the program by 2012. Based on data from
the SEO and the College Board, CBO also estimates that the
average cost per grant would continue to rise as the cost of
tuition and fees at both public and private schools rises,
although a growing share of the grants would be limited by the
annual caps. On that basis, CBO estimates that the average cost
per grant would reach $9,500 for public schools and about
$2,350 for private schools by 2012, assuming appropriation of
the necessary funds.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 1124
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or
tribal governments.
Previous CBO estimate: On March 14, 2007, CBO transmitted a
cost estimate for S. 343, a bill to extend the District of
Columbia College Access Act of 1999, as ordered reported by the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
on February 15, 2007 . That bill also would authorize the
appropriation of such sums as may be necessary for the tuition
assistance program through fiscal year 2012. The estimated
costs for S. 342 are identical to those for H.R. 1124.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Justin Humphrey.
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Lisa Ramirez-
Branum. Impact on the Private Sector: Fatimot Ladipo.
Estimate approved by: Peter A. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is
proposed is shown in roman):
TITLE XXXVIII OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICIAL CODE
* * * * * * *
SUBTITLE IX--COLLEGE ACCESS ASSISTANCE
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 27--COLLEGE ACCESS ASSISTANCE
* * * * * * *
Sec. 38-2702. Public school program
(a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to the District of Columbia to carry out this
section $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and (subject to 38-
2706) such sums as may be necessary for each of the [7] 12
succeeding fiscal years. Such funds shall remain available
until expended.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 38-2704. Private school program
(a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to the District of Columbia to carry out this
section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and (subject to 38-
2706) such sums as may be necessary for each of the [7] 12
succeeding fiscal years. Such funds shall remain available
until expended.
* * * * * * *
ADDITIONAL VIEWS OF RANKING MEMBER TOM DAVIS
We have traveled a long road with the District of Columbia
College Access Act--from initial introduction on March 1, 1999
until today. That journey took us through the predecessor
Subcommittee, which I then chaired, to the full Government
Reform Committee, to the House and Senate Floor, and then to
the White House, where President Bill Clinton signed the
measure on November 12, 1999. Every step of the way, the bill
to create the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program was
unanimously approved on voice votes. President Clinton included
sufficient money in his budget submission that year, and a
Statement of Administration Policy endorsed the approach we had
taken in authorizing use of those funds.
We should be deeply proud of the determined, bi-partisan
effort which resulted in enactment of this measure and its
reauthorization two years ago. Then, as now, we are grateful
for the support of our Senate colleagues, particularly Senators
Warner, Voinovich and Durbin. And city leaders have embraced
the program and made it the success we know today. Both former
D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and the current Mayor, Adrian
Fenty, have been strong supporters, and we appreciate their
continued advocacy on behalf of the City's students.
This law is a classic example of leveling of the playing
field. Since the program went into effect, the graduation rate
for public school students in the city has doubled. All
District students have another strong incentive to stay in
school.
The five-year reauthorization before us today will enable
District residents to continue to attend colleges and
universities throughout the nation at in-state rates. The
President's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget includes sufficient funds
to make that happen. No state, county or city is required to
supplement its in-state tuition rate with local funds. This is
a unique and highly successful federal investment. Suggestions
to cap that investment or require funds from the City would
penalize that success.
In March of 1999, just after we introduced the first bill,
Ms. Norton and I went to nearby Eastern High School to talk
with students about their hopes for the future. I will never
forget them. It was deeply moving. Many took our hands, looked
deep into our eyes, and told us how much they wanted the
opportunity to pursue higher learning. Their trust and the
hopes of so many future District students hungry to seize their
futures rest on what we do here today.
I'm proud of all we have been able to accomplish for, and
with, the Nation's Capital since 1995, when the city was
literally bankrupt. Economic development, public safety, the
real estate market, and so many other aspects of city life have
changed for the better. But nothing has given me more
satisfaction than working to improve the range of options for
the District's students. Fighting for equal educational
opportunity is one of the reasons I entered public life.
We need a healthy city to have a healthy Metropolitan
Washington Region. Reauthorizing this law, which has expanded
higher educational choices, is an enormous leap forward. It is
a critical element of our strategic vision for a vibrant
future.
Tom Davis.
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