Senate Joins House in Support of TRIO, GEAR UP Programs
Approved legislation would renew college-access programs for the rest of the decade
Despite facing a difficult 2006 budget process, Congress has soundly rejected President Bush’s plan to eliminate three early college awareness programs for at-risk youth.
A Senate panel in July delivered the latest blow to the plan, voting to preserve the Talent Search, Upward Bound and GEAR UP programs. Together, these initiatives received nearly $800 million this year. The White House sought the terminations in favor of a new high school improvement program that could extend the reach of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Under the Senate bill, however, Talent Search and Upward Bound would continue to receive funding as part of the federal government’s umbrella of TRIO programs. Overall, TRIO would receive $836 million, unchanged from current funding. GEAR UP, which promotes school improvement as well as early college awareness, would retain its $306 million budget.
The Senate’s decision follows a similar vote in the House to preserve the programs at current funding levels for the fiscal year that begins in October.
The bills are “great news” for GEAR UP, said Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., one of the program’s congressional architects and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus . “There’s so much more we can do with this program.”
Congress also is showing support for the college-access programs in its early deliberations on renewal of the Higher Education Act. Legislation approved by the House higher education subcommittee in July would renew TRIO and GEAR UP for the rest of the decade.
And rather than eliminate the program, as proposed by the White House, the House bill also would allow GEAR UP services to extend from middle and high school into a student’s first year of college.
“We believe federal resources must be used more efficiently and effectively to expand college access and ensure every American student who strives for a college education has the opportunity to reach that goal,” said Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., who chairs the House’s higher education subcommittee.
