A bill which increased funding in the fiscal year 1988 budget for several higher education programs was passed by the U.S. Congress in December.

The bill included funding for all levels of education, including elementary and secondary education programs. Higher education appropriations increased Pell Grant funding for FY88 from $3.8 billion to $4.26 billion.

Funding for Special Programs for the Disadvantaged was increased from $176 million to $206 million. Also, graduate fellowships were doubled from $20 million to $40 million.

The bill stated campus-based student aid programs will be funded at basically the same levels as the fiscal year 1987 budget allotted.

The National Education Association, a lobbying organization, lobbied in coalition with other organizations for increased educational funding.

Gary Timmons, NEA government relations representative, said the effort was effective in maintaining budget funding.

“There will be a budget increase in 1988, but it cannot balance out the seven year net loss of budget increases because of inflation and the Reagan Administration,” Timmons said.

“I think that education faired well. Despite pressure to reduce the federal deficit, the NEA was able to convince Congress that the higher education budgets were more important,” he said.

Bob Welling, press secretary to Congressman Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said, “Congressman Hastert was opposed to the form in which the bill was presented to the floor. Usually, the process for presenting the bills is each agency budget at a time, and then the vote for the passing of the budgets is individual.”

Welling said, “Hastert did not like the idea of the big bill. However, he did generally favor the education budgets.” Hastert voted against the large bill, he said.

“After the voting on Dec. 22, President Reagan said that if any other legislation is brought to the floor in this manner he will definitely veto it,” Welling said.

Hastert did not oppose the concept of raising higher education funding, Welling said. However, Hastert did disapprove of the way the legislation was formed, he said.

Jerry Augsburger, NIU financial aid director would not comment on the FY88 budget appropriations.