George Voinovich: “leveling the playing field for high school graduates in the District of Columbia continues to be a top priority of the…”

“leveling the playing field for high school graduates in the District of Columbia continues to be a top priority of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia which I chair. Today I would like to highlight the tremendous impact the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Program--D.C. TAG--has had on promoting higher education for high school graduates in the Nation's Capital and introduce legislation that would permanently authorize the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999. In 1999, I worked with the House and fellow Senators Jeffords and Durbin to craft the District of Columbia College Access Act which was signed into law on November 12, 1999. Soon after, under the direction of Mayor Anthony Williams, the D.C. TAG Program was created to implement this important legislation. The first grants were awarded in 2000. The aim of the Program was to afford D.C. high school graduates the same opportunity that high school seniors in each of the 50 States have, the ability to attend public universities and colleges at in-State tuition rates in all 50 States and participating private schools--Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) nationwide or private colleges or universities in Virginia or Maryland.”