Obama Enabling Prisoners To Get Pell Grants

Posted by | July 31, 2015 11:30 | Filed under: Good News Politics


(AP Photo)

What a concept! Enabling education in prisons is a great idea, and is being pushed by the Obama administration.  Of course, Republicans are against it.

The plan, first confirmed by POLITICO earlier this week, already has critics in Congress: A House bill introduced Thursday, the Kids Before Cons Act, would ban the Education Department from its plan to pilot the idea. Other lawmakers have quickly cast the proposal federal as overreach.

“The administration absolutely does not have the authority to do this without approval from Congress,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate education committee, which is working to reauthorize the very law Obama is bypassing.

Yet that law — the Higher Education Act — is also where the Education Department found the authority to proceed with its pilot program. It allows the department to conduct limited “experiments” with federal financial aid waivers. The department has several other experiments underway.

The so-called experimental site, dubbed the Second Chance Pell Pilot, will measure the effects of restoring access to Pell grants for prisoners, including whether it leads to jobs. It’s not clear how much the project will cost or how many prisoners would benefit.

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By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

6 responses to Obama Enabling Prisoners To Get Pell Grants

  1. DavidHart-slowlyboiledfrog.com July 31st, 2015 at 11:37

    Those who know my background might concur that these grants should be limited to non-profit educators. I don’t want to see this as further enrichment of Apollo/University of Phoenix. Otherwise I share the GOP’s objection. Moreover, this should require satisfactory academic progress oversight beyond what is required of the institution under Title IV.

  2. Warman1138 July 31st, 2015 at 12:34

    One gaining an education has a chance to make a difference not just for themselves but society as a whole. It’s better than remaining ignorant.

  3. FatRat July 31st, 2015 at 15:44

    On the other hand we could just be training new super villains. Congress is already full up. (snark)

    https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/T_Roosevelt.jpg
    A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.
    Theodore Roosevelt

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