Congressman Cohen Supports H.R.5

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Mr. Speaker, as a State senator in Tennessee, I worked for more than 20 years to pass a State lottery with proceeds benefiting education programs. The primary recipients of the proceeds are college students. In addition to keeping Tennessee's best and brightest in Tennessee, the purpose of the Lottery HOPE scholarship program is to provide students with a means to focus on their studies rather than having to take a second job to pay their tuition, and also to permit them to enter the workforce without the burden of student loans.

Tuition has risen sharply at both public and private universities, particularly at public institutions; interest rates on student loans have risen as well. This has been an onerous burden on students and their families, and for many Americans it has left them out in the cold in terms of pursuing a college education.

For the U.S. to be able to compete for jobs in the world, we must have an educated workforce. We are facing a shortage of up to 12 million college-educated workers by 2020. We need to remove roadblocks to education. There is nothing more important than the education of our citizenry, because it impacts every facet of our society.

I ask my fellow Members of Congress to join the Democratic majority, join with me in supporting H.R. 5 as part of the 100 hours. Pass this student loan reduction bill.