Students receiving Pell Grants may see up to $175 more in aid from a provision in the fiscal spending package now under consideration in Congress.
A House vote on the fiscal year 1999-2000 spending package is expected by the end of today.
A bill in the package would increase the cap on federal Pell Grants from $3,125 to $3,300.
Another bill in the package would increase funding to teaching hospitals, such as University Hospital, by about $600 billion, though lawmakers have yet to determine the exact figure, according to John DiBiase, press secretary for Sen. Charles Robb (D-Va.).
"It's an important victory for teaching hospitals," DiBiase said.
Appropriations for the need-based Pell Grants total $9.4 billion, an $87 million increase over last year, Rep. Virgil Goode (D-5th) said.
DiBiase said Robb supports the increase because he views the grants as an important revenue source for students.
Goode said he supports the Pell Grant increases and he would like to see more appropriated, but that to do so would require spending cuts in other areas to preserve the budget.
He said he would support cuts in foreign aid and contributions to the World Bank to free up money for financial aid.
The likely increase is welcome news to the University and its students.
"It has been increasing slowly, but not as quickly as we would like," University Financial Aid Director Yvonne Hubbard said.
The spending package should be passed soon, Goode said.
After passing the House, the bill will be sent to the Senate for voting and the president to sign.
Goode said he still is weighing the provisions of the spending package, a conglomerate of five annual spending bills that must be voted on together.
President Clinton already has signed the eight other budget bills this year.
"On the total bill, I've got a lot of factors - I'm still wading through it," Goode said.
One of his main complaints about the bill is the included congressional pay hike.
"I was against any pay raise," he said.
Other issues surrounding the bill's passage, including a regional conflict over dairy prices stipulated in the bill, threatened to slow the process.
But Goode said he did not think the dairy issue would be an obstacle to an agreement.
He said provisions such as flood relief for victims in North Carolina remains a contentious issue.
In an era of fiscal conservatism, the package contains greater spending than some lawmakers had aimed for, he added.
"The spending has been up some," Goode said.
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