College

May 19, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Senator Mike Johanns today voted to increase consumer protections for credit card users by tightening the rules for interest rate hikes and making credit card terms and conditions easier to understand.

The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 will provide consumers with more transparency, fairer terms, and more certainty regarding their interest rates when dealing with credit card companies. The bill passed by a vote of 90-5.    » read more »

May 19,2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) voted to protect consumers from excessive credit card fee increases and other costly practices. Cantwell joined 90 of her colleagues by passing the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. This legislation will put fairness back into credit cards by prohibiting credit card companies from arbitrary increases to interest rates on existing account balances and other unfair practices.    » read more »

Says More Work To Be Done To Lower Interest Rates

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement after the Senate passed the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009 by a vote of 90 to 5.

“Passage of this measure today creates long-overdue reforms of a credit card industry whose practices have become increasingly predatory and abusive – practices that I have fought since the 1970’s as a legal aid attorney in Iowa.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Senate passed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. This bill establishes strong consumer protections by preventing unfair interest rate increases and exorbitant fees; enhancing consumer disclosures; protecting young consumers; and strengthening oversight of credit industry practices.

“For too long, the credit card industry has taken advantage of their customers with hidden charges and misleading terms designed to do one thing – keep people from digging their way out of debt.”    » read more »

Average North Dakotan carries a credit card balance of between $3,000 and $6,000

May 19, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said the passage of the bipartisan Credit Cardholder’s Bill of Rights Act will protect consumers from arbitrary fees and interest rate changes, protecting responsible consumers from getting stuck in debt.    » read more »

Historic Legislation will Establish Strong New Consumer Protections, Crack Down on Misleading and Deceptive Practices

May 19, 2009 -- Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, today hailed Senate passage of his legislation to put an end to the abusive, misleading, and deceptive practices employed by credit card companies. Dodd’s Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act was approved by a vote of 90 to 5, and will now be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, today voted in favor of H.R. 627, legislation that strengthens oversight of the credit card industry. The bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 90-5, includes an amendment sponsored by Corker and U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), which places restrictions on marketing credit cards to college students.    » read more »

Governor Culver signs I-JOBS bills into law with $100 million for UI disaster efforts

May 14, 2009 -- IOWA CITY – Nearly one year after record floods destroyed many landmark buildings on campus, Iowa Governor Chet Culver today traveled to the University of Iowa, where he signed Senate File 474, which provides $100 million for the University’s disaster recovery efforts as part of the Governor’s $830 million I-JOBS Program.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 05/12/2009 - Many low-income students miss out on college because they don’t know how much it actually costs or how to get access to billions of dollars in financial aid, according to a report released today by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project.

This matters, say the report's authors, because postsecondary education is among the most important factors in determining whether a person achieves the American Dream of upward economic mobility. The report, Promoting Economic Mobility by Increasing Postsecondary Education, emphasizes that America is no longer a country where a high school diploma is the reliable gateway to getting a decent job and building a good life. It has become increasingly difficult to advance in society without some level of higher education.    » read more »

Coordinating communities' efforts will increase number of college graduates

April 28, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced the launch of the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) to accelerate the state's efforts to diversify the economy by doubling the number of Michigan's college graduates.

The initiative will promote postsecondary education by supporting local college access programs, which help citizens learn about higher education options, get into college, and earn their degrees. The network is expected to be up and running in the fall of 2010.    » read more »

California Only State Offering No Higher Education Benefit to Reward and Retain State National Guard

04/28/2009 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today urged legislators to pass SB 815, a bill proposed by the Governor and carried by Senator Dave Cogdill. Long overdue, this legislation is designed to close a gap within the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill allowing only Guard members who serve on a federal mission (such as in Iraq or Afghanistan) to be eligible for higher education benefits, leaving thousands of Guard members who serve closer to home without such benefits.

California is currently the only state in the nation that has yet to close this gap and offer an education incentive to reward and retain National Guard members.    » read more »

April 22, 2009 -- JOHNSTOWN – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell’s plan to make college tuition more affordable for every Pennsylvania family earning under $100,000 a year will help more than 170,000 students once in place, while putting a college degree within reach of 10,000 students who otherwise would be unable to afford tuition or might leave the state to attend college.    » read more »

April 14, 2009 -- CALIFORNIA, Pa. – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell’s plan to make college tuition more affordable for every Pennsylvania family earning under $100,000 a year will help more than 170,000 students once in place, while putting a college degree within reach of 10,000 students who otherwise would be unable to afford tuition or might leave the state to attend college.    » read more »

Education investment is part of Massachusetts Recovery Plan to help preserve programs, avoid layoffs and mitigate student fee hikes

BOSTON – Tuesday, March 24, 2009 – As part of his Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state’s economic future, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today announced $162 million in federal education recovery funds will go to all state and community colleges and the University of Massachusetts system, restoring funding to campus budgets, averting layoffs and program cuts and mitigating student fee hikes. To date, Governor Patrick has committed a total of $620 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for K-12 education, special education and higher education programs and services.    » read more »

March 18, 2009 -- BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Western Kentucky University is taking a major step toward reducing energy consumption and making a positive impact on the environment.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and WKU President Gary Ransdell today announced the adoption of a comprehensive Energy Policy for WKU that outlines individual and University responsibility for energy management. The policy, developed by the WKU Sustainability Committee’s Energy Conservation Task Force, has been approved by the University’s Administrative Council and takes effect immediately.    » read more »