4/15/11

Congress Passes 2011 Spending Bill

Yesterday Congress passed a $38.5 billion bill to fund the federal government through Sep. 30, 2011. The President is expected to sign the bill today.

HR 1473, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act:

• Maintains the 2011-12 maximum Pell Grant of $5,550.
• Permanently repeals the year-round Pell Grant beginning with the 2011-12 award year.
• Eliminates the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program.
• Provides for $994 million in student aid administration funds.
• Rescinds $31 million in unallocated funds for the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) job retention grant program.

Congress will now begin working on the 2012 budget. Deficit reduction and the federal debt ceiling are expected to remain at the forefront of policy discussions.

We’ll continue to keep you informed about new developments regarding the 2012 budget. Visit our Legislation Page to view new documents as they become available.

---

OCAP Communications
P.O. Box 3000
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-3000
Communications@ocap.org
www.ocap.org