VOL. 23, NO. 21	APRIL 17, 1998

ederal legislators are on district recess until the week of Apr. 20. When they return, the House of Representatives is expected to begin floor action on H.R. 6, the Higher Education Reauthorization Amendments of 1998.

  The Senate is expected to work on the tobacco bill, the reauthorization of the transportation act, the higher education act and pending tax legislation. Both bodies will also begin working on their appropriations bills.

  House and Senate Committee-passed bills substantially raise the authorized level of Pell Grants. In 1999 the House bill would authorize $4,500, and the Senate bill would authorize $5,000. (Unfortunately, there have been very few years since the 1980s when appropriators reached authorized maximums.)

  The TRIO program receives a big boost in the House bill (up to $800 million).

  In both the House and Senate bills Federal Work Study funds receive significant increases. House and Senate bills each contain provisions about reporting on college costs and directives regarding elimination of athletic programs. There may be a floor amendment that would forbid colleges from considering race, color, national origin, ethnicity or sex in admissions. A side-by-side comparison of the bills is available from Columbia’s Office of Public Affairs.

  The State Legislature is nearing completion of its work. It is expected that TAP funding will increase for undergraduates, but whether or not graduate students will receive a raise is not known. Direct Institutional Aid or Bundy Aid is expected to increase by as much as $5 million.

  For additional information, contact Ellen S. Smith, assistant vice president and director of federal relations, ess9@columbia.edu.