Pete Sessions: “I have supported the loan programs and the Pell grants. I like the Pell Grant Program. That is focused on a person of…”

“I have supported the loan programs and the Pell grants. I like the Pell Grant Program. That is focused on a person of lower income. We probably do have lower income students in Alabama, and we probably benefitted nicely under the Pell Grant Program compared to more blessed States such as Massachusetts. I simply would ask the question, the question I raise is: If you have two persons in nursing school and one is maybe already a nurse but trying to get a higher degree and she works and keeps her debt down, the one who does not do that gets more benefit than the other. It does only favor those in the public sector and not in the private sector. I believe this bill continues the emphasis, which I support, on maybe having better Pell grant provisions for those who do math and science and some of the areas in which we have shortages. I believe it goes further than that, does it not? I know we did that last year. I think that was a good step in trying to help deal with shortage areas.”