Provide an increase. Medical assistance for americans would be slashed by the ryanrepublican budget. With funding for medicaid and the Childrens HealthInsurance Program cut to the tune of 26 within 10 years. Social Service Block grants, which provide flexible funds for states to help vulnerable populations, eliminated under the ryanrepublican budget. Ell grants would be reduced by 400,000 under the ryanrepublican budget. Job training funding was rgeted for deep cuts in 2011 in the spending bill House Republicans passed. Housing assistance would end for 800,000 low income families in the transportationh. U. D. Appropriation bill. House republicans just passed bill House Republicans just passed. Hard actions contradict the soft rhetoric of today. We should be very skeptical when zebras try to change their stripes. Todays legislation is part of a set of 14 tax provisions that ways and means republicans have marked up, permanent and ithout offsets, at a cost of 825 billion to taxpayers. By the end of this week, the total that House Republicans will have passed on the floor is more than 700 billion, not a dime offset. You know, the kind of easy to come here and say, this is what we want to do, when we dont pay a dime to do it. Let it be clear in terms of this call on bipartisanship, all the democrats on ways and means voted against this bill and the statement of Administration Policy says it opposes it. And let me give some details. In simplifying education provisions within the tax code, this bill leaves behind numerous undergraduate students , graduate students and lifetime learners. It replaces the hope scholarship credit, it repeals both the lifetime lernering credit and the learning credit and the now expired deduction for qualified tuition expenses and it limits the overall deduction for the first four years of schooling. It harms students across the board. Undergraduates who take longer than four years to complete their degrees would be impacted. A change that loses sight of the fact that the median length of time it takes undergrads to get their degrees is today more than four years. Adult learners would face higher costs, three and four students are adult learners who tend to take much longer to complete their degrees because , serve in ull time the military or have some combination of the foregoing and take longer to complete their degree. Low income and middle income graduate students would lose out. In 2013 the Lifetime Learning Credit, which this bill eliminates, served nearly two Million Students with incomes at or below 75,000, including one million with an income of 40,000 or less. Two years ago a quarter of all graduate students earned less than 11,000. During the same year, 31 of the 1. 3 million masters degree students received no financial aid. Two years ago a quarter of all graduate students earned less than 11,000. During the same year, 31 of the 1. 3 million masters degree students received no financial aid. In 2011, nearly two million tax returns claimed the qualified tuition deduction, which expired at the end of this year. And this bill does not extend. Thats one reason we have a letter from the american counsel on education and heres what he council on education and heres what they say, and i quote, however, as we discussed in our attached letter of april 4, 2014, the ways and means to ways and Means Committee members, there are a number of other changes in the legislation which causes great concern. Even as reported, the bill would negatively impact many low and middle income students and families who benefit under current law. It also would harm graduate students and lifetime learners who utilize the tuition deduction or the l. L. C. Because we continue to have serious concerns about the student and family tax simplification act, we cannot support, we cannot support the bill as currently written, even in the form as reported. This is sent on behalf of the following. The American Association of state colleges and universities. The American Council on education, the association of american universities, the association of governing boards, the association of jesuit colleges and universities, the association of public and land grant universities, college and University Professional association for human resources, the council for christian colleges and universities, the council of graduate schools, and the Hispanic Association of colleges and universities. That letter so much speaks to this issue. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan, mr. Camp. Mr. Camp thank you. I would yield myself such time as i may consume. And let me just say, i ask unanimous consent to place in the record letters of support for the legislation from the American Association of Community Colleges and the association of Community College trustees, as well as the u. S. Student association, United States student association. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Camp and, mr. Speaker, i know were hearing a lot from the other side about how this ought to be paid for. But they frankly exempted this from paygo. What does that mean . They said this doesnt need to be paid for. This is such important policy, because if we can get people started on the road to an education by getting a college degree, their chances of succeeding economically in life are so much better. And that will become a base for succeeding in america basic for succeeding in America Today is to get that bachelors degree. I know theyre concerned about the graduate students but frankly the tax code isnt there for those going to harvard law and Stanford Medical School and there are other provisions that help , ovide for students, grants loans, scholarships. This is about how can the tax code, how can all americans help those get that basic level of education that gets you that bachelors degree to get you on the road of Economic Opportunity . Because if we dont have an upwardly mobile society, we actually put at risk the American Dream. And with that i yield such time as she may consume to the distinguished member of the ways and Means Committee, the gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. Black. I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from tennessee control the remainder of the time. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Speaker. I would like to first of all thank my colleagues on the ways and Means Committee for all of their help and their hard work on moving this bill forward. I would also like to thank the chairman, chairman camp, for his leadership and for his dedication in helping american taxpayers and families, which is really what this bill is about. Coming from two hardworking parents with no more than a ninth grade education between them, and attending college was a little more than just a dream for me growing up. Yet my parents support and with some hard work, i was able to be the first of my family to attend college and go on to graduate with a degree in nursing. And this has allowed me to spend over 40 years working as a nurse in the health care industry. And just as this dream was for me, pursuing Higher Education is a dream for millions of children and their parents across this great nation. Its a wellknown fact that the cost of education is climbing and that for far too many, the ability to save and pay for College Without ending up under a mountain of debt is simply out of reach. Todays broken tax code does little to ease that financial burden. Or to even provide a sense of security that education will be a reality in the future. And thats why, under chairman camps leadership, i worked across the aisle with my colleague, danny davis, as the cochair of the ways and Means Committee on education Tax Reform Working Group last year. Over the course of a sevenmonth, Bipartisan Working Group meeting, frustration with the tax code was a common theme of what we heard. For instance, there are currently 15 different tax benefits related to education. Four of those are designed to help individuals save prior to becoming a student. Nine are available for while the student is in school. And two exist for when the student has completed his or her education. It was overwhelming when we had tax experts explain it. So it was not difficult to imagine how parents trying to navigate this 90 pages of i. R. S. Instructions would simply toss up their hands and say, i give up. Thats why the work that mr. Davis and i did during the time together on this education Tax Reform Working Group didnt end up when we delivered our report to our colleagues. Instead our desire to provide at least some relief from that frustration led the two of us to work to see how we could clean up the code and help families struggling to finance education costs. That process led us to introduce h. R. 3393, the student and family tax simplification act. Now, this legislation consolidates four existing education provisions. The hope credit, the American Opportunity tax credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit and the tuition deduction into a single modernized and strengthened aotc. Stream lining the number of streamline the number of education provisions and retooling these that are most effective allows us to simplify the code and reduce some of the confusion that exists today. And as a result, students can spend less time figuring out how to finance the cost of education and more time developing the skills they need to succeed in our knowledgebased economy. Mr. Speaker, i think we all can agree that it ought to be easier for any family to plan, save and invest in education. Everyone in this chamber can agree that we should do everything we can to help American Children attain Higher Education and achieve their dreams. So im proud that as the chairman has already referenced , that the American Association of Community Colleges, the association of Community College trustees, the National Association of College Stores and the United States student association, the United States student association, have announced their support for this bill. And now i ask for my colleagues in the house to join me in supporting this commonsense measure to help American Students and families. Thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i would ask unanimous consent that letter from the American Council on education, with all of the signatures, be placed in the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Levin i now yield four minutes to the gentleman from texas, a member of our committee, mr. Doggett. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Doggett todays bill is another element of a republican agenda that has consistently weakened our federal commitment to Educational Opportunity. I agree with the American Council on education, which said, quote, the federal tax code is no substitute for the pell grant, federal work study and other federal student aid programs. Republicans have voted again and again in this congress to cut these investments in our future. House republicans approved a budget that would eliminate 90 billion of pell grants, would deny 125,000 students federal work study assistance, and would have reduced funding for hispanicserving universities and historically black colleges and universities. Now the republicans come to the floor and are really boasting of the fact that this particular version of the bill does not cut federal tax incentives for education as much as they wanted to. As originally introduced by my colleague from tennessee, this bill would have denied five million americans every year an opportunity to use education tax incentives that exist under current law. They would have slashed the assistance under the act by 5 billion a year, according to the joint committee on taxation. And so they went back and tinkered with it a little bit and theyre here today to brag that they have a dminus bill and thats better than the failing bill that they offered initially. I understand that after years of opposing this particular incentive, they might want to change course. They all voted against the improvements, the changes that i authored in 2009 for the American Opportunity tax credit. They have consistently opposed the concept of refundability. That is assisting those students who might not have a Tax Liability as big as the amount of the credit. And it is progress that they have come around to supporting the credit at all and the concept of helping those at the bottom of the ladder. But while they have cut the serious depths of the cuts they have proposed a few months ago to these tax incentives, they have not stopped the bleeding. They deny assistance to many students across america who are assisted by our current law. Thats why, as my colleague as our colleague, mr. Levin, pointed out, one group of institutions, whether it was hispanic colleges or christian colleges or land grant colleges, they all oppose this bill. They have said, and again, i quote, the bill would negatively impact many low and middle income families who benefit under current law. Thats what the educational experts say. Thats because the bill eliminates a guarantee under existing law called the Lifetime Learning Credit. It is eliminated entirely for so many students and its important to understand who those students are, because i have seen and talked with them at places like san antonio college. A. C. C. And st. Phillips college. What kind of person are we talking about . A single mother who has a child to take care of and continues to work, trying to get her ssociates degree first to move out of a low wage job to a better job and move on to u. T. Or somewhere else but cant get it all done in four years. A mid level worker who wants to shift industries and needs to upgrade their skills, they have to work and go to school at night they cant get it all tone in four years. A recent College Graduate who says, in order to get the job im best qualify for, i have to have a masters degree but theyre denied assistance and the opportunity to climb up the economic ladder of success, not by the existing law but by the changes the republicans oppose today. All students lose out. I yelled the gentleman an additional minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Doggett the impact is serious. About half of all students pursuing a Higher Education attend part time, which inevitably extends the time it takes for them to complete the degree. Eliminating a tax incentive for Higher Education that takes more than four years away will deal a blow to nearly two Million Students across america who claim the Lifetime Learning Credit or they did in 2013. Of these, about a million earned less than 40,000 a year. Thats who is being cut by this. I have legislation that over 100 of our colleagues have joined to do all the streamlining they talk about, but to make the American Opportunity tax credit permanent and to assure that we dont cut out benefits to students that are counting on these benefits. We need to reject this bill another 10 seconds . E need to reject we need to reject this bill that still comes up too short for too many students. We need to let them succeed in todays global economy. And ensure that students have the support that America Needs to be competitive and successful. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from tennessee. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Mrs. Black this was an incredible experience for me to work with such a fine gentleman as mr. Davis. When we began this process with the chairman giving up an giving us an opportunity to take a look at this very complicated group of tax provisions in our code. What we found with the joint committee on taxation helping us is that, as i referenced in my opening remarks, there are 90 different paygoes, no less the fact that there are provisions that step on top of one another and we actually asked the jint committee on taxation to help simplify this, to do a diagram for us a flow chart. What we found was, they came back and said, this is so complicated that we cant even do a flow chart that would make sense. D so, we set out on asking different groups to come talk to us, from the very conservative, the very progressive side, the think tanks, universities, colleges, those who represented the 529 provisions. And to just come and let us know about what they thought about what was currently in the code. We heard consistently over and over again, it didnt matter where they were on the spectrum, we heard, this is so complicated that people are not even using it because they cant figure out. As a matter of fact, theres a g. A. O. Study that indicated that 1. 5 million tax filers would qualify for either the tuition and fees deduction or the Lifetime Learning Credit in 2009 did not even claim the credit or the deduction because of its complication. And so it was my honor to work with my esteemed colleagues in going to work to say what can we do to simplify this so that we can make sure that people who really need this assistance are going to get that assistance, thats there in the code but they cant figure out. So we, after about seven months, hammering back and forth about what we felt that were going to best fit the needs of the students of this country in helping to get them a start in college, to get them going, to be sure that they would have that opportunity, the tax credit, came up with this product and we rolled it out with a press conference and im proud to say that this was an effort of bipartisanship, one that i think if we could do more of that here in congress we would be accomplishing a lot. So it really is my honor to stand here today with my colleague who we worked so well together on this. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time is reserved this egentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin i have the pleasure to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york, a distinguished, to put it lightly, member of our committee, mr. Raengel. Mr. Rangel. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rangel its amazing how any bill that reaches the house, all you have to do is put a title on it and then read it and you think youve got something going. Listen to the way that this men is described, 393, it sounds like the 393, it sounds like the 3393, it sounds like the committee that put it together was going to reform, took a lot of different provisions and combined it into one to make it easier for the applicant to understand whats going on. The problem with that is that when you do all of that, make it simple, and then put a trillion dollar bill off it, make it permanent and cut off benefits for other people, it shows that people use the word reform, doesnt necessarily mean youre doing better. I admire the chame of the ways and Means Committee when he put together a tax bill and had the courage to eliminate a lot of the tax credits that were not paid for, a lot of loopholes that was in the law. And i think it was supposed to be revenue neutral, as difficult as that sounded. But no one ever thought, surgeonly not paul ryan when he said the people deserve a goth that works for them, not one that buries them in more debt. This is exactly what this bill does. Its permanent. Theres no provisions for pay for, and it buries us in more debt. But what really annoyed me the most was this fouryear limit, because if i can just beg the house for its indulgence, when i came out of the army, i thought i was the cats meow in terms of how much people appreciated my contribution to the security of this country. And of course i went to the Veterans Administration to see what my benefits as related to education would be. They told me the first thing i had to do was to take an catholic est and that charities would provide the test. I picked up my rosaries, went to Catholic Charity they asked me a lot of questions and when they completed it, they concluded that i should be studying to become a mortician or electrician. I didnt emphasize that i was catholic because i didnt think it would make that much difference but when i refused to a i agree to that conclusion, and asked them to show me one question that i answered that would allow them to believe that i should be a mortician or electrician, and they said, my son, its not so much that, its just that you have a fouryear cap on could i have another minute . Mr. Levin i yield the gentleman two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Rangel you have a twoyear cap on the education. I was shocked to be reminded that i hadnt completed high school and i had to complete two years of high school and four years of college and instead of telling me that, i found out the hard way that i had a fouryear ceiling. I was able to convince them after a year to reduce my two years by combining it with credits from one year in the college for four years, to three years so i got under the hammer, but i cannot imagine, when Technology Means so much for a person, to hold on to their job, just to keep up with the technology thats there, that they can almost feel the elevation or the qualifications thats necessary but the United States government will say, well, you almost made it. Because we have just put a fouryear cap on your ability to really be productive in this country. But i guess what hurts me the most is the hypocrisy thats involved here when we talk about the National Debt. Is that something we just have to talk about . Should we talk about the interest that we pay on the National Debt . Or should we really just talk isut getting a tax code that simplified that does encourage Economic Growth, and that does make it possible for people to believe theres equity in this. I know the chairman had a beautiful draft and it was modified by republicans and passed but this is the end of the session and we find ourselves with the tax bills accumulating a trillion dollars worth of debt. So why talk about giving someone an education when the debt of the nation may bury them as the chairman of the Budget Committee has said. So im convinced that the image has been change hasnt changed but the method in presenting a cutoff for benefits has changed in how its presented. Thank you so much. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black thank you. I yield as much time as he may consume to the esteemed chairman of ways and means. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. When i hear my friends on the other side talk about the growing concern for the National Debt, we must have a good bill. They dont want to talk about the bill mr. Camp the deficit has gone up every year the democrats were in the majority, every year the republicans were in majority. When this legislation was created it was not paid for. Created for two years. When it was renewed in 2010 for two year, not paid for. When it was renewed in 2012 for five years, it was not paid for. What we have in this country is repeatedly renewing tax policy for short terms, not paying for it, not making it reliable. Were the only nation in the world that does this. What were looking for is not only making this policy simpler and easier to understand as the sponsor of the bill has explained very well, but we also want to make this permanent. So we dont have to come back and wonder. So families that are planning for three or four of their kids to go to college over the next 10 years dont have to wonder, are these provisions going to be there . Am i going to finally figure out these 1 hurricanes pages of instructions and start a plan for my childrens College Education only to find that oh, congress didnt get around to extending this provision this time . So part of this is about permanency. How do we make these policies last . And also how do we make sure that people at the lower end of the economic ladder have a chance to save for college, have a chance of getting college, even though they may not have the income to qualify for some of the tax credits. This reform does this. I think this is an important step forward. Look, its been extended basically for a budget window. Without being paid for by both parties. So lets call it what it is. Its permanent policy. Lets make it permanent policy so families and students can rely on a constant policy so that they can plan and save for a College Education which is becoming more and more a basic standard that people need to succeed in life. I think if we can do anything this year, its about making a statement that we want to help families and students succeed not only in school but also Going Forward in their careers and lives. Thank you very much. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time is reserved this egentleman from tennessee. Mr. Levin i yield four minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Kind. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Kind mr. Speaker, i have great deal of respect and admiration for the chairman of the ways and Means Committee, my friend from michigan, and i hope his solution here today, given the dysfunction that weve seen and the process coming out of this congress in recent years, is not just to come forward with a series of permanent changes to the u. S. Tax code without paying for any of it. And exploding our National Debt for future generations to have to grapple with. But unfortunately thats been the trend in the ways and Means Committee over the last couple of months. I also want to commend the work that the gentlelady from tennessee has done with the gentleman from illinois, mr. Davis, in putting together this bipartisan bill. Im all for simplification of the tax code. Im all for streamlining these tax credits to make it easier for students and their families to better afford Higher Education. Im all for finding a bipartisan path forward to make sure that no student is left behind. That those doors of Educational Opportunity are there. And open for all americans. But we ought to do that the right way, not the wrong way. And unfortunately the bill here before us today is the wrong way to approach the issue. First of all, its one of 14 permanent changes to the tax code that have been reported out of the ways and Means Committee now exceeding over 800 billion without any of it being offset and without a nickel of it being paid for. This on the heels of the last few years, weve been trying to figure out a way to get our fiscal house put back in order. Theres been a whole lot of shrill and crying on this floor about runaway budget deficits and the unsustainable debt that our nation has accumulated. And the fact that we have to borrow so much money from china. This bill compounds that problem. It doesnt solve it. And this bill alone would add close to 97 billion to the National Debt over the next 10 years. Again, none of it paid for. But there are also some substantive problems with this bill too that unfortunately, due to a lack of hearings in ways and Means Committee, due to a lack of discussion and feedback from our universities throughout the country, is not addressed. Not least of which, and ive heard this from universities back in wisconsin, is that theres a significant administrative change hiding in this bill. Currently schools can report either eligible tuition charges that are billed to students or paid to students. This bill takes away the bills aspect of reporting to the i. R. S. Now, that is probably a trend that we ought to pursue and should fix in the future. But to do it abruptly, and given with the Computer Systems within our universities right now, is bound to cause severe disruption in regards to these tax credits for students. And im afraid that has not been well vetted and it hasnt been thought through, because again its an election year. And were racing these bills to the floor in order to do our press releases back home and score cheap political points with constituencies that would prefer to see legislation advance without paying for it. But its something that we ought to fix before we burden offices throughout the nation in trying to revamp their Computer System overnight. Theyre telling us its not going to work. And furthermore, the gentleman from michigan has highlighted the impact thanks going to have on our graduate students. Impact this is going to have on our graduate stoonlt students. Theyre graduate students. Only four years are available under this legislation. And its expected to have a profiling impact on the affordability of graduate education for students throughout the nation. And i dont think that has been vetted all that well either. And its because were not doing regular order around here. Its an election year, i get it. Theres nothing easier in the world to bring permanent changes to the tax code that everyone would desire to see, but without making the tough decision and paying for it as well. While at the same time coming forward with budget resolutions thats cutting back on the availability of pell grants for low income students. Or work Study Programs for low income students. Or trio or gear up programs. Mr. Levin i yield the gentleman an additional minute. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Kind or gearup programs. Somehow, some way it became fashion to be cut those programs that have benefited low income students, including myself. When i was a kid growing up my family did not have the financial means to send me to school so i was able to qualify for pell grants. I did do work study all four years. And without that availability i dont know where i would have ended up, with my education. Thats where we seem to go to first in the budget for cuts. And then coming forward today on a bill that will add 7 billion to the deficit 97 97 billion to the deficit. Week of still got time. Lets do in the right way. I would encourage my colleagues, vote no and give this body time to fix some of the deficiencies in the bill, but also to make the tough decision and too do it in a fiscally and do it in a fiscally responsible manner. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black mau, mr. Speaker. What id like thank you, mr. Speaker. What id like to do is read from a letter that we received in support of this legislation from the American Association of Community Colleges and the association of Community College trustees. And im just going to lift a couple paragraphs out of here that i think address some of the responses from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Im only going to read three pieces, although there are more. And we will make this permanent for the record as well. I want to read the one that says, and this is why they say that they believe this benefits College Students, it makes the aotc permanent. Currently set to expire at the end of 2017, the aotc is the most important source of support for College Students in the tax code. H. R. 3393 makes the benefit permanent and ensures it will remain in place for students and families. As the chairman referenced that just a few moments ago. Another paragraph, and i quote, creates better alignment with the pell grant. Currently an estimated one million colonel students College Students with unmet financial need do not receive any benefit from the aotc due to its poor coordination with the pell grant program. The vast majority of these students attend low cost institutions, particularly Community Colleges, and this bill remedies this situation. And then the last piece, it. Ndexes the aotc to inflation h. R. 3393 recognizes that college prices are not static and adjusts the aotc for inflation, starting in 2018. And so i believe that that speaks to those pieces that we said are so important in this reform. And now id like to yield as much time as she may consume to the leader of our conference, the lady from washington. The chair the gentlelady from ashington is recognized. Mrs. Mcmorris rodgers thank you, thank you to the leader on this legislation. Great work. And to the chairman, i rise in strong support of h. R. 3393, the student and family tax simplification act. I was the first in my family to graduate from college and i understand firsthand the struggle that families face to pay for Higher Education. And as a matter of fact im still paying off some Student Loans from graduate school. But for todays graduates, the picture is even much bleaker. In fact, seven out of 10 graduates are entering the work force with 33,000 in student loan debt. Up 2,000 just from last year. And for many, student and parent loans are often the only option to address the higher cost of college. Our outdated tax code is no help. With 15 different complicated overlapping provisions, we need a tax code that works for people. Thats what 3393 does it. Simplifies the tax code so that families and students can actually use and benefit from it as they pursue Higher Education. The latest Unemployment Rate for recent College Graduates is 8. 5 . More than 16 of them are underemployed. We need every tool at our disposal to put money back in the pockets of families so that theyre empowered to make better choices. I urge my colleagues to support h. R. 3393 and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin could i ask how much time is there on both sides . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan has 7 1 4 minutes remaining. Mr. Levin and the gentleman . The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady has 12 minutes remaining. Mr. Levin do you have other speakers . Mrs. Black im ready to close. Mr. Levin ok. Let me just yield myself 30 seconds and then ill yield four minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Levin the gentlelady has just talked about her work in graduate school. This bill would eliminate help for millions of people in graduate school. Thats what this bill does. I now yield four minutes to the distinguished gentleman from illinois, mr. Davis. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Davis i want to thank the Ranking Member for yielding. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Taxbased aid represents more than half of all nonloan federal support for Higher Education. Given tax giving tax policy a Critical Role in affordable in college affordability, access and completion. And although i strongly support improving the Education Credits for students and family, i cannot support the republican piecemeal tax approach that would add 825 billion to the deficit and imperil our economic recovery and the wellbeing of our citizens. As partners in the education and family benefits tax working group, i was delighted to work with representative black and her staff from tennessee. And i want to thank her and her staff for a wonderful legislative experience. It was indeed a delight. I also want to commend chairman camp for taking the Bold Initiative to put comprehensive tax reform in the discussion and on the table. Our bill represents a bipartisan compromise that integrates promising reforms to taxbased education benefits suggested to us by both conservative and progressive stakeholders. This bill simplifies our tax code and strengthens our investment in students and their families, expanding aid to the lowest income students by modestly expanding the refundability of the credit, removing obstacles to claiming the credit, improving the coordination of tax and pell policies, and indexing the credit to inflation. However, the student and family tax simplification act was intended as part of comprehensive tax reform. Within a comprehensive package, policymakers are better able to pay for our tax cuts and ensure the groups of taxpayers who may lose out in one section are helped in others. I look forward to continuing to work in a bipartisan way to improve education tax policy. But i oppose moving this bill in isolation of other education tax reforms and at the exclusion of other critical tax provisions that help the working poor, strengthen economically distressed communities, promote affordable housing, help cover Public Transportation costs, incentivize businesses to hire hardtoemploy workers, and assist teachers with classroom expenses. And i dont think anything is much more important than education affordability. But i believe that first things come first and for me right now, before i would suggest spending me more any more money, i would suggest that we find a way to put anunemployment check in the hands put an unemployment check in the hands of the 3 1 2 Million People who are waiting in america so they can live until they can get to college. I thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. He gentleman from michigan. Mr. Levin ill conclude if youre ready to conclude. We favor on this side of the aisle simplification. Were in favor of reducing the number of pages. Were not in favor of leaving out millions of students. This approach, it hasnt been refuted. Leaves out millions of undergraduates, millions of graduate students, and millions of people who are in longer term education needs. Who cant complete college in four years. And in many cases want to go on to graduate school. So whats happened here is another bill thats come out of committee, its part of a package that was over 800 billion. And it leaves out so many. It leaves out so many. And you make it permanent. These are people permanently left out. Permanently left out. Why . Many of these bills go back some years. Well have to check many years ago, perhaps they were paid for. The more recent one was in the recovery act of 2009 which we favor. But we did not favor essentially making permanent laws that would leave out. Thats what is done here. And ive heard, oh, well come back some other time. Youre going to come back some other time when youve added a trillion dollars to the deficit . Thats not believable. Indeed, what is believable is the result of this kind of reckless course, its going to squeeze further discretionary nondefense expenditures. Those that squeezing out is the heart, as i said earlier, i think its hardhearted, approach of the ryan republican budget. We see what happens when republicans essentially use the argument that we cant pay for it when they cut all kinds of programs that i mentioned at the beginning. So many that were cut out in the ryan republican budget. I urge a no vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. The balance of time is 12 minutes. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Speaker. I could say a lot of other things but i dont think theres any better way for me to conclude than to read a letter which im going to submit for the record. From a student who actually sent this to me today and i do want to read it, but i think that you will see after i read it the emphasize her emphasis here is that we are helping those who need help the most by what were doing with the simplification of this particular part of the code. So let me read this to you. Dear congressman black, for the sake of the identity of this person, im going to use the name of nancy. My name is nancy and i attend the atlantic technical college. The additional 500 in refunds in your bill for student for a student like me would be extremely beneficial. I am the mother of five, fulltime worker and student. Although i intend to continue my Higher Education once i graduate from the atlantic technical college, i have found out that my pell grant will expire next semester. I now find myself in the position of taking out loans for future smesters to make sure that my tuition and books are paid for. I plan to use my taxes to help me with this dilemma. The additional 500 may not seem like it would cover a lot, but in my case it will cover cleese one threecredithour class or at least three of my textbooks. I would love the opportunity to have an option of using these moneys that are outright mine, than to put myself in debt more by taking out a full amount of any loan. My only hope is that you take this letter into consideration, for there are many others out there in my predicament. I think there is no better way than to end with something that comes from the heart of a student who is working so hard. She has five children, fulltime worker and student. Because of the refundability of this tax provision, if it were placed into law, you can see how it would really help those that were trying to help the very most. So i would urge my colleagues, for the sake of helping our students, especially those who are at the lower and middle income, i would urge you to support h. R. 3393, the student and family tax simplification act. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore all time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 680, the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. Third reading. The clerk bill to amend the Internal Revenue code of 1986 to consolidate certain tax benefits for educational expenses and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlelady from arizona rise . I have a motion to recommit at the desk. Mr. Speaker, i reserve a point of order on the motion to recommit. The speaker pro tempore a point of order is reserved. The clerk will report the motion. The clerk ms. Sinema of arizona moves to recommit the bill h. R. 3393 too the committee on ways and means with instructions to report the same back to the house forthwith with the following amendment. Add at the end of the bill the following, section 4, informing students of savings through lower interest rates, a, in general, the secretary of the treasury shall, in publications relating to the credit allowed under section 25a of the Internal Revenue code of 1986 include a table that illustrates the difference between Monthly Payment amounts with respect to various principal amounts and at a minimum under a standard repayment plan for specified Higher Education loans, one, under the applicable rate of interest on such loans as determined under section 455c8 the Higher Education act of 1965, and two, under a rate of interest on such loans that is 2 lower than the applicable rate of interest. B, specified Higher Education loan. For purposes of this section, the term specified Higher Education loan means any loan which is made under part of e, d, or c of the Higher Education act of 1965. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule the gentlelady from arizona is recognized for five minutes in support of her motion. Ms. Sinema this motion to recommit is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If this amendment is adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended this motion is straightforward and common sense. It directs the secretary of the treasury to provide students with the information they need to compare the costs of Student Loans. In providing information on tax credit, the treasury secretary must publish a table showing the amount of savings that students would achieve on a monthly basis under different student loan rates. Students should be provided this Important Information before they take on debt. Mr. Speaker, our country has a student debt crisis as an adjunct professor at Arizona State university, i appreciately hear from my students i frequently hear from my students about how difficult it is to effectively manage their Student Loans. Ngela, brian, randy, jack, y, diego, on thatny, ellen brandy, kent, joe, gary, christopher these are only a few of the young College Graduates from Arizona State university, my alma mater who shared their stories with me. Some of these young people are my students at Arizona State university. Some are recent graduates. Some of them are thinking of starting a family while others are working hard to care for the families they already have. What do these graduates want . They just want a fair shot. They want to know that their hard work in college mattered, that it led to the promise their parents made to them when they were little, the promise we all believe in, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can succeed. Essentially, they want what each one of us has wanted for ourselves, what we want for our own kids, and what were working for in our districts. They want a shot at the American Dream. Angela graduated from Arizona State university in 2012. She now faces the biggest financial hurdle of her life. She doesnt face bills or a car loan, its not rent or mortgage payment, its a bill for over 85,000 in Student Loans. Ilya will graduate in 2015. When she does, shell have other 64,000 in Student Loans. Nationally, outstanding Student Loans now total more than 1. 2 trillion, surpassing total Credit Card Debt and every year students are taking on more. An estimated 71 of College Seniors had debt in 2012. With an average Outstanding Balance of 29,400 for those who borrowed to get a bachelors degree. Young people are for going longterm Job Opportunities and Home Ownership in order to meet the urgent demands of their large student loan payments. I relied on pell grants. Academic scholarships, and federal loans all through school. Just like my Arizona State students do today. I know students need guidance and assistance to manage their student debt. I talk to young people who are excited to share their ideas and thoughts with me about how to solve some of the worlds biggest problems. However, it concerns me that these same young people are daunted by the prospect of an expensive education that they want but fear they cannot afford. Rising College Costs are putting Higher Education and the American Dream out of reach for too many hardworking arizona families. Education is key to Economic Growth and job creation and for many, its a Clear Pathway out of poverty. I know this because education was the key to my own path out of poverty and to the middle class. We must take action to combat this crisis. We need to give students the information they need to make smart decisions about paying for education. And that is why i offer this motion to recommit today. Its why im asking my colleagues to support this reasonable motion and i call on congress to do more to make the American Dream accessible and affordable for more american families. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Camp i withdraw my point of order and seek time in opposition to the motion. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Camp this motion to recommit has absolutely nothing to do with helping give middle class families the resources they need to send their kids to college. This has nothing to do with making tax policy more certain, easier to understand, simplifying a very complex area of the tax code. This has nothing to do with helping families who are struggling to pay for education. Lets get on with trying to do that job. Lets reject this motion to recommit, lets pass the underlying bill and lets help middle class america. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. The question is on the motion. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. The gentlelady from arizona. Ms. Sinema i call for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of clause 9 of rule 20, this 15minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by five minute votes on the passage of the bill if ordered and the motion to instruct. This is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ]