(Washington, D.C.) Today, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers spoke on the House floor, urging her colleagues to pass the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.

Click here to watch her statement.

McMorris Rodgers is a member of the Education and Labor Committee and served as a conferee on the bill that helps increase our nation’s competitiveness and makes college more affordable. The bill reflects several of McMorris Rodgers’ priorities which she has been fighting for since elected to Congress.

Among other things, the bill:

Adopts McMorris Rodgers’ provisions to increase our nation’s competitiveness by including scholarships for students studying math, science, engineering and computer science as well as encouraging innovative programs for teaching foreign language;

Contains McMorris Rodgers’ language that allows adjunct content specialists in schools, letting school districts recruit mid-career professionals with experience in math, science and critical foreign languages so those qualified professionals can take time out of their career, enter the classroom and share their real world experience;

Helps make college more affordable for Eastern Washington students by funding for the Perkins Loan program, which provides approximately $8.7 million for Eastern Washington colleges and universities each year;

Cracks down on fraudulent diploma mills by increasing transparency to give consumers more information allow the Secretary of Education to continue her efforts to shut down fraudulent diploma mills.

Contact:
Destry Henderson
202-225-2006
202-279-0418