WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today spoke with members of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association about her personal experience with student loan debt and her work to make higher education more affordable, accessible and effective. The trustees were in Washington, D.C., to attend the Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) national legislative summit. A photo of the meeting is available here.
“As someone who wasn’t always sure I’d be able to go to college—and only was able to afford college thanks to Pell Grants, student loans and a handful of jobs—I understand the power of a diploma,” Duckworth said. “I’ll keep working to ensure federal support for higher education, including community colleges all across our state, so that every American has the opportunity to enroll in college and complete a degree.”
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Trustees from the following Illinois community colleges were in attendance:
· Black Hawk College
· Carl Sandburg College
· College of DuPage
· College of Lake County
· Elgin Community College
· Harper College
· Heartland Community College
· Highland Community College
· Illinois Central College
· John A Logan College
· Joliet Junior College
· Kishwaukee College
· Lincoln Land Community College
· Oakton Community College
· Parkland College
· Richland Community College
· Shawnee Community College
· Waubonsee Community College
Duckworth is working to include two of her bills—the Community College to Career Fund (CC2C) Act and the Expanding On-Campus Child Care to Help Student Parents Succeed Act in the next Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization. The CC2C Act would make higher education more affordable for students pursuing degrees in high-skill industries by helping businesses fill vacant, good-paying positions with qualified candidates while the Expanding On-Campus Child Care to Help Student Parents Succeed Actwould increase access to on-campus child care for low-income student parents and ensure the U.S. Department of Education is meeting the needs of our student parent populations. Duckworth also helped re-introduce legislation last March to allow Americans with outstanding student loan debt to refinance their loans at more affordable interest rates, potentially saving thousands of dollars.
