April 05, 2019

Duckworth Hosts College Affordability and Accessibility Roundtable with Northeastern Illinois Community Colleges

 

[ELGIN, IL] – With the Senate expected to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) later this year, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) hosted more than a dozen Northeastern Illinois community college leaders at Elgin Community College (ECC) today in a roundtable discussion about their federal priorities and her work to make higher education more accessible. During the roundtable, Duckworth highlighted two pieces of legislation she wrote, the Community College to Career (CC2C) Fund Act and the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) Reauthorization Act. She intends to reintroduce both bills in the coming weeks and will work to include in the upcoming HEA Reathorization Act that the Senate will consider. Photos from today’s event are available here.

“Those of us who weren’t always sure we’d be able to go to college understand the power of a diploma,” Duckworth said. “We cannot stay on the sidelines as higher education keeps slipping further and further out of reach for so many people. Every American deserves the opportunity to enroll in college and complete a degree. I’m going to keep doing everything I can to make that future a reality.”

Duckworth originally introduced the CC2C Fund Act and CCAMPIS Reauthorization Act when she was in the U.S. House of Representatives, both of which aim to expand opportunities for higher education. CC2C Fund Act would create a 3-year competitive grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education in coordination with the U.S. Department of Labor to help create and expand partnerships between employers and two –year community and four-year technical colleges. The CCAMPIS Reauthorization Act would increase access to on-campus child care for low-income student parents and ensure the Department of Education is meeting the needs of our student parent population.

Duckworth was joined today by representatives from Elgin Community College, Oakton Community College, Waubonsee Community College, Joliet Junior College, College of DuPage, Prairie State College, Moraine Valley Community College, Harper College, City Colleges of Chicago, Highland Community College, Morton College, Triton College, College of Lake County and the Illinois Community College Board.

Before the roundtable, Duckworth also toured the ECC Spartan Food Pantry, which helps students experiencing food insecurity, an important factor in academic success. Duckworth also participated in ECC’s Game of Life, an interactive demonstration through ECC’s Financial Literacy Program which helps students increase their financial literacy throughout their life.

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