June 30, 2020
Today Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and colleagues introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act (CCCERA), a proposed COVID-19 emergency education funding bill to provide $450 million in emergency support for federal TRIO programs to serve low-income/first-generation students, unemployed adults, and students with disabilities.
The bill would provide $250 million for TRIO capacity increases to help serve additional students facing educational disruption, unemployment, and poverty in the COVID-19 crisis. The bill would also provide $200 million for technological connectivity through the TRIO programs to help low-income students continue coursework, apply to college and financial aid, and continue advising services online.
“Students and families are facing significant disruption as COVID-19 closes schools, and unemployment and poverty skyrocket,” said Maureen Hoyler, President of the Council for Opportunity in Education. “Without action, we could see a lost generation of college-bound students. Thank you, Senator Murray and colleagues, for hearing the TRIO community’s strong cry for help, and proposing this emergency relief to help vulnerable students enter and complete college to improve their economic situation.”
Thanks to the advocacy of the TRIO community nationwide, last month 40 bipartisan senators (.pdf) asked Senate leaders to include funding for TRIO in the next COVID-19 relief bill. This followed similar requests from 108 bipartisan House members
(.pdf) (covered in Politico) and the Congressional Black, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific American Caucuses.
The Council for Opportunity in Education’s detailed request for emergency COVID-19 funding for TRIO can be found here (.pdf).
To read more about Senator Murray’s bill, view the press release, fact sheet (.pdf), and bill text
(.pdf). In addition to TRIO funding, the bill would also provide: