Thousands of dollars could be deducted from tuition bills around the nation after the U.S. House of Representation passed legislation that would make higher education more affordable.

Over the next five years, the College Student Relief Act proposes, among other things, cutting federally funded Stafford loan interest rates in half — from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. According to U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., the bill could eventually save the average Wisconsin student more than $4,000.

“Cutting interest rates on student loans is only the first step in making college more affordable,” Kind said in a Jan. 17 statement, after the House vote. “In the new Congress, we must do everything possible to address rising costs so that no qualified student is prevented from going to college because of the price.”

After passing through the Education and Workforce Committee, the bill was passed in the House by a 356-71 majority vote.

Kind, as well as four Wisconsin Democrats and Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., voted in favor of the legislation. Republican Reps. Paul Ryan and Jim Sensenbrenner opposed the bill.

Sensenbrenner spokesperson Raj Bharwani told The Badger Herald that the congressman voted against the bill because it does not immediately aid college students.

According to Bharwani, Sensenbrenner prefers legislation that would increase funding federal grant programs, but would have to see a proposal’s language before taking an official position.

The White House released a statement last week opposing the College Student Relief Act because it “would direct federal subsidies to college graduates, not to students and their families who are struggling to meet current and future educational expenses.”

Like Sensenbrenner, the Bush Administration supports, and has supported in the past, federal grant programs like the Pell Grant. Over the past six years, federal student aid has increased by 57 percent and funding for Pell Grants has risen by nearly 50 percent, according to a White House release.

University of Wisconsin economics professor Andrew Reschovsky said evidence for the effectiveness of attracting students through reduced interest rates is mixed.

“For the most part, college is still expensive,” Reschovsky said. “[Reducing the interest rate] will help, but not a great deal.”

Reschovsky said college applicants could still be intimidated by the idea of a loan, especially because many students do not know their earning potential before committing to a university.

“If the main goal is [increasing] access … giving grants is going to be much more effective,” added Reschovsky, who said loans tend to benefit the middle-class, while grants tend to encourage the lower class.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., supported the bill last Wednesday and said she would also support legislation to increase funding for the Pell Grant program.

“Congresswoman Baldwin believes that no student who has goals of pursuing higher education should be discouraged because of financial restraints,” Baldwin spokesperson Jerilyn Goodman said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.

Although some officials predict President Bush may veto the bill, it will first need to make its way through a U.S. Senate committee, the Senate body and possibly a conference committee between the House and Senate.