Wilson’s office provided a great list of some things that this act will accomplish.

• Streamline the federal student financial aid application process;
• Make textbook costs more manageable for students by, among other things, helping them plan for textbook expenses in advance of each semester;
• Allow students to receive year-round Pell Grant scholarships;
• Strengthen college readiness and support programs for minority and low-income students;
• Increase college aid and support programs for veterans and military families;
• Improve safety on college campuses and help schools recover and rebuild after a disaster;
• Ensure equal college opportunities and fair learning environments for students with disabilities; and
• Strengthen our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness by boosting science, technology, and foreign language educational opportunities.

For Zack Space the bills passage was a little bit more personal, his CURE (Colleges and Universities Rural Education) Act was incorporated into the bill. In a release from his office he made these remarks:

“The colleges and universities in my district provide a great service to our rural students. We must do everything possible to support their efforts to educate our children.

“This legislation will allow colleges that serve rural populations to form partnerships to help usher more students into college and assist them with that transition.  It will also allow these colleges to develop training and employment programs that will provide desperately needed skilled workers.  If our communities are going to take the next step toward economic recovery, we must have the educational opportunities in place to make that transition a reality.”

– Rep. Zack Space

According to Space’s office, the CURE Act provides federal grants to the following:

• Partnerships formed between colleges serving rural areas and rural high schools to promote access to higher education amongst graduates of those schools.  The grants can be used to promote access to the campuses and assistance with financial aid/admissions forms.
• Partnerships formed between colleges serving rural areas and regional employers to form employment pipelines for students in college.  Preference would be given to partnerships designed to help fill needed professions in the community.
• Colleges serving rural areas for the purpose of developing training programs in needed professions.

First off is this statement from Charlie Wilson on his recent votes supporting several bills targeting online predators and child pornography.

“Our children are our most precious resource and we must do everything we can to protect them. This legislation takes important steps to ensure that predators can’t reach into our own homes to prey on our children.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

According to the release the bills were:

· H.R. 3845 – PROTECT Our Children Act of 2007

· H.R. 719 – Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007

· H.R. 4120 – Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act

· H.R. 4134 – Internet Crime Prevention Education Program Act, authored by Rep. Linda Sanchez

· H.R.4136 – Enhancing the Effective Prosecution of Child Pornography Act of 2007, authored by Rep. Chris Carney

· H.R. 3461 – SAFERNET (Safeguarding America’s Families by Enhancing and Reorganizing New and Efficient Technologies Act of 2007), authored by Rep. Melissa Bean

Wilson has also added a new page to his website to help parents deal with the recent batch of toy recalls during the holiday season and signed on to cosponsor the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act (H.R. 4040).

From Zack Space’s office comes an announcement that the House has passed Space’s proposal to help bolster the Head Start program in rural areas.

“The Head Start program has proven itself to be a valuable tool in starting children on their way to productive adulthood, but the program needs to do more to reach rural students. There is no reason that those children born in rural areas should have less access to such a great program simply by virtue of where they live.

“This proposal will ensure that children all over the region have a better chance at success in life through access to this program.  This is a long-term investment in the economic future of Southeastern Ohio.”

– Rep. Zack Space

According to the press release, Space’s proposals (which were included as an amendment to the Head Start reauthorization bill) will help with:

• Developing innovative and effective models of professional development for staff living in and serving populations in rural communities;
• Removing barriers to parent involvement in Head Start programs in rural communities;
• Removing barriers to providing home visiting services in rural communities; and
• Removing barriers to obtaining health screenings for Head Start participants in rural communities.