HR 113 (LSB 5428HH (4) 86)

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 113

BY  HALL, OLDSON, HEDDENS, ANDERSON, KEARNS, BEARINGER, BERRY, OURTH, STECKMAN, SMITH, ABDUL-SAMAD, GASKILL, COHOON, WESSEL-KROESCHELL, WINCKLER, STAED, HUNTER, MASCHER, and HANSON

A Resolution urging Congress to enact legislation to ensure that students from Iowa and throughout the United States have access to debt-free higher education at public colleges and universities.

   WHEREAS, the economic competitiveness of the United States and Iowa in the global economy requires a well-educated workforce; and
   WHEREAS, Iowa ranks 8th in the country in students graduating with the highest debt, with the average statewide debt load for Iowa’s public and private college and university graduates at $29,732; derailing promising futures and diminishing the economic benefit of these graduates’ talents; and
   WHEREAS, current and future young people in Iowa and throughout the rest of the nation should have the same opportunity offered to those who went to college in previous generations, including the ability to attend state colleges and universities without taking on burdensome debt; and
   WHEREAS, in 2016, higher education is more important than ever because it is an essential step to entering and remaining in the middle class; and
   WHEREAS, because of the importance of higher education to the nation’s economy, the United States and its state governments should expand the opportunity to pursue and attain higher education to more people than had that opportunity in the past; and
   WHEREAS, public investment in higher education pays off, as evidenced by the facts that the post-World War II G.I. Bill resulted in a 7-to-1 return on investment for our national economy and that workers with college degrees earn more money, pay more taxes, and rely less on government services; and
   WHEREAS, student loan debt saddles the very students who most depend on a college degree to level the economic playing field with a burden that constrains career choices, hurts the credit rating of the students, prevents people from fully participating in the economy by purchasing goods and services, and threatens essential milestones of the American dream —— including the purchase of a home or car, starting a family, and saving for retirement; and
   WHEREAS, a national goal of establishing a debt-free public higher education system would include significant federal aid to states, including Iowa; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the Iowa House of Representatives urges Congress to enact legislation affecting students attending public institutions of higher education that does the following:
   1. Ensures that such students have access to debt-free higher education, meaning students who graduate can do so without debt.
   2. Supports efforts to increase aid to the states so that states can increase investments in higher education and bring down education costs for students.
   3. Increases financial aid to students to help cover the total cost of college attendance.
   4. Encourages innovation by states and institutions of higher education to increase efficiency, lower costs, and enable speedy and less-costly degree completion.
   5. Reduces the burden of existing student loan debt; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit certified copies of this Resolution to each member of Iowa’s congressional delegation.