{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://kind.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-ron-kind-continues-fight-make-college-more-affordable", "Rep. Ron Kind Continues Fight to Make College More Affordable", "2013-12-06", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "WI", "Ron Kind", "K000188", "kind.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Kind Cites New Study Finding that Wisconsin Ranks 8th in the U.S. for Student Loan Debt\nWASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) today renewed his call for action to make college loans more affordable, citing a new study finding that Wisconsin ranks 8th highest in the country for percentage of graduates with student loan debt.\nThe fact that our state has the 8th highest percentage of students graduating with debt should be a wake-up call for every Wisconsinite, said Rep. Kind. We have to reverse this trend. Helping our young people prepare to compete in the global marketplace is a smart investment, and an absolute necessity for the future of our state's economy.\nThe study, conducted by the Institute for College Access and Success, found the 68% of last year's graduates left school carrying student loan debt. The average debt amount was $28,102, which was the 14th highest in the nation.\nRep. Kind has taken concrete steps to keep college affordable, and has consistently voted against bills that aim to balance the federal deficit on the backs of students. He strongly opposed a so-called compromise on student loan interest rates this past summer, which will ultimately lead to higher interest rates. He also introduced the Protecting Education through Lifetime Learning (PELL) Grant Funding Act to direct any profit the government makesfrom federal student loan programs into the Pell Grant program.\nRep. Kind's efforts are especially needed as higher education in Wisconsin faces historic challenges. The state has cut funding for our public colleges by 11%, and at the federal level, mandatory spending reductions (known as the sequester) are cutting 5% from programs helping low-income students, minorities, and students with disabilities afford college.\nI have the privilege of representing 14 colleges and universities in the Third Congressional District and I know how tough it is on families trying to pay for college, concluded Rep. Kind. For a Wisconsin student to graduate from college and enter the job market with over $28,000 in debt creates a huge financial strain that can last for years. The time for action is now, before Wisconsin falls any further behind.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://kind.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-ron-kind-continues-fight-make-college-more-affordable"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8509580511599779, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}