July, 21 2009, 12:11pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Christine Lindstrom
Higher Education Program Director
(Office) 202-546-9707 (Cell) 617-308-1063
Student Group Urges Passage of Student Aid Bill
U.S. Public Interest Research Group urged the
Education and Labor committee in the U.S. House to pass HR 3221, the Student
Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON
U.S. Public Interest Research Group urged the
Education and Labor committee in the U.S. House to pass HR 3221, the Student
Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 on Tuesday.
"Our nation must revitalize
the faltering student aid system in order to ensure that students can get into
college and get into the workforce. This bill makes the single largest
investment in student grant aid and other in other access programs in history.
We urge its swift passage," stated Christine Lindstrom, U.S. PIRG Higher
Education Program Director.
U.S. PIRG joined the United States Student Association and Campus Progress Action in
sending a letter to members of the committee in support of HR 3221 which would
allow for more affordable access to college by fixing current issues in federal
aid programs.
U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), stands up to powerful special interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. With a strong network of researchers, advocates, organizers and students in state capitols across the country, we take on the special interests on issues, such as product safety,political corruption, prescription drugs and voting rights,where these interests stand in the way of reform and progress.
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U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 Americans and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, a move the White House described as "the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history."
But the president's sweeping use of his clemency power as his term nears its conclusion did not appear to extend to any of the 40 men currently on death row—some of whom have been there for decades.
According to a White House fact sheet, those who received commutations "have been serving their sentences at home for at least one year under the Covid-era CARES Act," a law that extended the amount of time in which people could be placed in home confinement to reduce the spread of the virus in prisons.
The White House did not name those who received pardons or commutations but said the list includes a "decorated military veteran," a "nurse who has led emergency response for several natural disasters," and "an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people find their purpose."
The Biden Justice Department paused federal executions in 2021, but President-elect Donald Trump pledged on the campaign trail to expand the use of the death penalty and is expected to allow the executions of the 40 men on death row to take place if they're still there when he takes office next month.
In a statement on Thursday, Biden said that he has "the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses."
"That is why, today, I am pardoning 39 people who have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer," the president said. "I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are serving long prison sentences—many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices. These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the Covid pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance."
Biden, who campaigned on ending the death penalty at the federal level, vowed to "take more steps in the weeks ahead" as his administration reviews clemency petitions, leaving open the possibility of commutations for death row prisoners.
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