Washington, DC (January 18, 1007) – Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) today was named Chairman of the Higher Education, Life Long Learning and Competitiveness Subcommittee.  “I am very honored that my colleagues chose me to head this important subcommittee,” said Hinojosa.  “Throughout my public career, I have been passionate about making sure that every child has a quality education so they can fulfill their dreams.  As Chairman of this subcommittee, I will have new opportunities to advocate for every child,” Hinojosa continued.

The Higher Education, Life Long Learning and Competitiveness Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all federal higher education programs including student financial aid, adult education and minority serving institutions.  Its first priority will be completing work on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.  “We have been trying to complete work on the Higher Education Act for more than 4 years.  With the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, we have the opportunity to launch a major expansion of postsecondary education opportunities, putting our nation on a solid economic footing for the future.  The key components are already there:  student financial aid, outreach programs, and institutional capacity building programs. Last year, I successfully included provisions to create a graduate Hispanic Serving Institutions program to increase the number of Hispanics earning graduate such as masters and doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees.  This year, we need to complete the bill so that students can take advantage of this new opportunity,” said Hinojosa.

Hinojosa also plans to focus on increasing the number of students prepared for STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and math).  In addition, this year the subcommittee will reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act that funds job training programs, adult education programs and English as a Second Language programs.  “In order for our country to remain competitive, we must do a better job of training our workforce to meet the needs of the 21st century,” stated Hinojosa.

This week Congress approved another piece of the first 100 hour agenda by cutting interest rates on student loans, making higher education attainable to an even greater number of Americans.

“To further advance the goal of making a quality education more attainable, before the end of January, I plan introduce several key bills that will curb the student dropout rate, help our schools improve their science laboratories, and provide needed resources for English language learners.  In the coming year, I will also work to expand adult education programs at all levels to help make education a lifelong endeavor,” concluded Hinojosa.

Hinojosa was also named to the Subcommittee on Early Learning and Elementary and Secondary Education, which has jurisdiction over K-12 programs, including GEAR-UP and Head Start, which will focus this year on reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.