Latest news with #Creasy
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill's changes to federal loans, grants to affect Calhoun, Athens State students
Jul. 31—Students at Calhoun and Athens State can expect changes in federal student loans and grants made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act starting next year, and Alabama's nearly 660,000 federal student loan borrowers currently in repayment may see more immediate effects. Calhoun Community College Director of Student Financial Services Melissa Creasy said the college cannot yet predict how many current students will be directly affected. For the previous school year, Calhoun dispersed over $28 million in federal aid. President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which he signed into law July 4, outlines changes for new federal loan limits, the elimination of certain federal loan types, loan repayment, and loan and Pell Grant eligibility. "President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is a historic win for students, families, and taxpayers," said the Acting Under Secretary for the Department of Education James Bergeron in press release from the department. Like other sections of the bill, public reception to student loan changes has been mixed. Denise Forte, president and CEO of the left-leaning EdTrust, called the bill a "full-scale assault on educational opportunity and economic fairness" in a statement. According to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data for the 2025 — 26 cycle, approximately 34,000 students in Alabama from the high school graduation class of 2025 have applied for federal student aid. The application is open for 15 months for any given academic year. The most recent data is through July 18. Locally, more than 1,500 recent graduates from Morgan, Limestone and Lawrence counties have submitted an application for the upcoming school year. Starting with the 2026 — 27 school year, federal loans that these college freshmen or future students borrow will be subject to borrowing caps and have just two repayment plan options. — Pell Grant changes Creasy, Calhoun's financial services director, said that Calhoun students' Pell Grant eligibility could be affected. Each year 36% of Calhoun students receive Pell Grants, totaling approximately $18 million, according to Creasy. More than 100,000 students in Alabama received a Pell Grant for the 2023 — 24 school year, according to the Education Department. Unlike loans, Pell Grants don't need to be repaid. These disbursements make up the majority of federal aid Calhoun students receive. Starting July 1, 2026, students won't be eligible for a Pell Grant if their student aid index — which is determined by the FAFSA — is twice or more than the maximum Pell Grant amount for the year. For example, using the maximum amount of $7,395 for the 2025 — 26 award year, someone with a student aid index of $14,790 or higher wouldn't qualify for a Pell Grant. The index determines the amount of aid a student may qualify for by deducting annual living expenses from financial resources. The bill also increases the amount of funding available for Pell Grants by nearly sixfold, addressing a funding shortfall, according to Bergeron's statement. Athens State University disbursed Pell Grant funds to 1,467 students in the 2024 — 2025 academic year, totaling more than $7 million, according to its Financial Aid Office. Athens State Public Relations Manager Lauren Blacklidge said a large number of part-time students depend on Pell Grants. "On a positive note, earlier versions of the proposed legislation included changes to the definition of full-time enrollment for the Federal Pell Grant program and the elimination of Federal Pell Grants for less-than-half-time enrollment," Blacklidge said. "Although these provisions may seem minor, preserving the current Pell Grant structure is a significant win for Athens State students." OBBBA also introduces a Workforce Pell Grant, which can be awarded to students in a short-term educational program — lasting between eight and 15 weeks. Such programs should qualify as "high-skill, high-wage," according to OBBBA. The grant will first be available starting July 1, 2026. "We don't have the details and the requirements, but hopefully there will be something in it for Calhoun students," Creasy said. "Hopefully they will be able to qualify for funding through that new program." Calhoun offers certificate programs in 24 areas of study. It is unclear at this time how many of those programs would be Workforce Pell eligible. — Borrowing limits Blacklidge said caps on Parent PLUS loans, the elimination of Graduate PLUS loans and lifetime loan caps will also affect Athens State students. Starting July 1, 2026, parents can only borrow up to $20,000 per year per dependent enrolled in an eligible higher education institution and a maximum aggregate amount of $65,000 on behalf of each child through the Federal Direct PLUS loans. "While only a small number of parents currently pursue Parent PLUS loans for their children, imposing annual or aggregate limits could create affordability gaps for these families," Blacklidge said of Athens State. "This may increase retention risks and place additional pressure on institutional aid resources to help cover unmet need." The bill also establishes an annual borrowing limit of $20,500 for graduate students not enrolled in a professional program, such as medical, law and business schools. Professional students can borrow up to $50,000 per year. Aggregate borrowing limits are also created for graduate school. Starting July 1, 2026, graduate students are capped at $100,000 total. Professional students can borrow up to $200,000. Furthermore, OBBBA eliminates the Grad PLUS loan, which previously allowed graduate and professional students "to cover any costs not already covered by other financial aid or grants, up to the full costs of attendance," according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "Eliminating the Graduate PLUS program could severely affect our graduate students who have already borrowed up to their unsubsidized limits, forcing them to rely on private educational loans to complete their degrees," Blacklidge said. "For context, we have consistently awarded Graduate PLUS loans over the past two years, making this a critical funding source for many of our students." Athens State gave out $438,565 in combined Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS loans last year to 56 different students. The lifetime maximum federal borrowing cap for a student is set at $257,500 for combined undergraduate and graduate loans, as well. "Lifetime loan caps could hinder degree completion for transfer students, adult learners, and those pursuing multiple degrees, increase drop-out risks, and create a greater need for proactive financial aid counseling," Blacklidge said. — Other changes Alabamians could see more immediate changes from OBBBA's restructuring of loan repayment and forgiveness. The bill has halted regulations from the Biden administration concerning borrowers' defense to repayment. The regulations were controversial and a court blocked them from taking effect pending a final decision. Also contested in court, the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan begins accruing interest Thursday after roughly a year in forbearance. Loans disbursed after July 1, 2026, will only have two repayment options: the Standard Repayment Plan and an income-based Repayment Assistance Plan, which will replace multiple current income-contingent plans. People previously ineligible for financial hardship can now qualify for income-based repayment. Interest subsidies and principal matching are created to help borrowers using the Repayment Assistance Plan pay off loans. The bill also eliminates deferment for any loans made after July 1, 2027, and sets restrictions for forbearance. In a subsection titled "Accountability," OBBBA calls for an evaluation of the return on investment of degree programs. If a particular program doesn't yield a higher median annual income for a degree holder than for someone with a lower level of education, it could become ineligible for federal student loan disbursement. — or 256-340-2437 Solve the daily Crossword
Sky News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Labour MP Stella Creasy thanks tube passengers for intervening as she was 'hassled' on Victoria line
Labour MP Stella Creasy has revealed she was "hassled" by a man on the London underground and has thanked passengers who rushed to her aid. Ms Creasy, who has been an MP since 2010, also said in a post on her X and Facebook accounts that whoever helped her on Tuesday should reach out to her office if they were prepared to be a witness, following the incident. She said: "If you were one of the passengers on the Victoria Line just now who intervened to stop a man hassling me thank you from the bottom of my heart. "Please get in touch with my office if you are prepared to be a witness as maybe the police might listen to you about him now!" It's not the first time Ms Creasy has been targeted. Ms Creasy received numerous rape threats and misogynistic messages on her Twitter timeline in 2013 after supporting feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez, who lobbied the Bank of England to put a woman on the £10 note. In 2023, Ms Creasy also revealed she had been after a man using an alias complained that her "extreme views" would damage her children and they should be removed from her. The complaint was dismissed and the man, who had no personal connection to Ms Creasy or her two children, apologised. But the Labour MP was left with a social services record after the "malicious" report by the man, who was later convicted of harassing her. In June last year, a separate incident saw Ms Creasy's office being attacked and "malicious" leaflets circulated. The Metropolitan Police confirmed at the time that an investigation had been launched into criminal damage at Ms Creasy's office.
North Wales Chronicle
17-06-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
‘Cruel' criminalisation of women over abortion must end, says MP ahead of vote
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi said her amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would remove women from the criminal justice system in relation to their own pregnancies, ensuring they could not face investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment. She said the UK's 'Victorian' abortion law is 'increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls' and that her amendment is the 'right change at the right time' and a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to bring change. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence but is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. It is also legal to take prescribed medication at home if a woman is less than 10 weeks pregnant. Efforts to change the law to protect women from prosecution follow repeated calls to repeal sections of the 19th-century law, the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, after abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019. Ms Antoniazzi said her proposed 'narrow, targeted' measure does not change how abortion services are provided or the rules under the 1967 Abortion Act. She said: 'This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help. As I have said it before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.' She added that her amendment is backed by 180 MPs from across the Commons and 50 organisations including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). The MP assured her colleagues the current 24-week limit would remain, abortions would still require the approval and signatures of two doctors, and that healthcare professionals 'acting outside the law and abusive partners using violence or poisoning to end a pregnancy would still be criminalised, as they are now'. A separate amendment has also been put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy and goes further by not only decriminalising abortion, but also seeks to 'lock in' the right of someone to have one and protect those who help them. Ms Creasy's amendment will also be debated but 'will fall' if Ms Antoniazzi's is passed by MPs, the Commons heard. Referring to Ms Creasy's amendment, Ms Antoniazzi said while she agreed 'more comprehensive reform of abortion law is needed', such change of that scale should take place through a future separate piece of legislation. Conservative MP and Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, speaking against both amendments, described them as 'not pro-woman' and argued they 'would introduce sex-selective abortion'. DUP MP Carla Lockhart insisted 'both lives matter', saying the proposed amendments 'would be bad for both women and unborn children'. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is not present for Tuesday's vote, outlined her opposition to both amendments in a letter to constituents, saying while she believes safe and legal abortions are part of female healthcare, the amendments 'unnecessary' and 'dangerous'. The issue of women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer and Carla Foster. Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home. She told jurors during her trial, which came after more than four years of police investigation, that she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. The case of Ms Foster, jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant, eventually saw her sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal and suspended, with senior judges saying that sending women to prison for abortion-related offences is 'unlikely' to be a 'just outcome'. MPs had previously been due to debate similar amendments removing the threat of prosecution against women who act in relation to their own pregnancy at any stage, but these did not take place as Parliament was dissolved last summer for the general election. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has urged MPs to vote against both amendments, saying they would bring about 'the biggest expansion of abortion since 1967″. Alithea Williams, the organisation's public policy manager, said: 'Unborn babies will have any remaining protection stripped away, and women will be left at the mercy of abusers. 'Both amendments would allow abortion up to birth, for any reason. A separate amendment, tabled by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson proposes mandatory in-person consultations for women seeking an abortion before being prescribed at-home medication to terminate a pregnancy. She said her amendment aims to make sure women and girls are safe when they access abortion services. She told the Commons: 'I'm not trying to limit people's access to what is clinically legally available. I'm trying to make sure that people are safe when they do so.' She said the change she has proposed would be to protect women who have been trafficked and forced into sex work or those who have been sexually abused and where a perpetrator is attempting to cover up their crimes by causing a termination. But Ms Antoniazzi said remote access to abortion care was 'safe, effective and reduces waiting times', and that such a change would 'devastate abortion access in this country'. The changes being debated this week would not cover Scotland, where a group is currently undertaking work to review the law as it stands north of the border. On issues such as abortion, MPs usually have free votes, meaning they take their own view rather than deciding along party lines. The Government has previously said it is neutral on decriminalisation and that it is an issue for Parliament to decide upon.
Leader Live
17-06-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
‘Cruel' criminalisation of women over abortion must end, says MP ahead of vote
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi said her amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would remove women from the criminal justice system in relation to their own pregnancies, ensuring they could not face investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment. She said the UK's 'Victorian' abortion law is 'increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls' and that her amendment is the 'right change at the right time' and a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to bring change. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence but is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. It is also legal to take prescribed medication at home if a woman is less than 10 weeks pregnant. Efforts to change the law to protect women from prosecution follow repeated calls to repeal sections of the 19th-century law, the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, after abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019. Ms Antoniazzi said her proposed 'narrow, targeted' measure does not change how abortion services are provided or the rules under the 1967 Abortion Act. She said: 'This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help. As I have said it before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.' She added that her amendment is backed by 180 MPs from across the Commons and 50 organisations including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). The MP assured her colleagues the current 24-week limit would remain, abortions would still require the approval and signatures of two doctors, and that healthcare professionals 'acting outside the law and abusive partners using violence or poisoning to end a pregnancy would still be criminalised, as they are now'. A separate amendment has also been put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy and goes further by not only decriminalising abortion, but also seeks to 'lock in' the right of someone to have one and protect those who help them. Ms Creasy's amendment will also be debated but 'will fall' if Ms Antoniazzi's is passed by MPs, the Commons heard. Referring to Ms Creasy's amendment, Ms Antoniazzi said while she agreed 'more comprehensive reform of abortion law is needed', such change of that scale should take place through a future separate piece of legislation. Conservative MP and Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, speaking against both amendments, described them as 'not pro-woman' and argued they 'would introduce sex-selective abortion'. DUP MP Carla Lockhart insisted 'both lives matter', saying the proposed amendments 'would be bad for both women and unborn children'. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is not present for Tuesday's vote, outlined her opposition to both amendments in a letter to constituents, saying while she believes safe and legal abortions are part of female healthcare, the amendments 'unnecessary' and 'dangerous'. The issue of women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer and Carla Foster. Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home. She told jurors during her trial, which came after more than four years of police investigation, that she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. The case of Ms Foster, jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant, eventually saw her sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal and suspended, with senior judges saying that sending women to prison for abortion-related offences is 'unlikely' to be a 'just outcome'. MPs had previously been due to debate similar amendments removing the threat of prosecution against women who act in relation to their own pregnancy at any stage, but these did not take place as Parliament was dissolved last summer for the general election. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has urged MPs to vote against both amendments, saying they would bring about 'the biggest expansion of abortion since 1967″. Alithea Williams, the organisation's public policy manager, said: 'Unborn babies will have any remaining protection stripped away, and women will be left at the mercy of abusers. 'Both amendments would allow abortion up to birth, for any reason. A separate amendment, tabled by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson proposes mandatory in-person consultations for women seeking an abortion before being prescribed at-home medication to terminate a pregnancy. She said her amendment aims to make sure women and girls are safe when they access abortion services. She told the Commons: 'I'm not trying to limit people's access to what is clinically legally available. I'm trying to make sure that people are safe when they do so.' She said the change she has proposed would be to protect women who have been trafficked and forced into sex work or those who have been sexually abused and where a perpetrator is attempting to cover up their crimes by causing a termination. But Ms Antoniazzi said remote access to abortion care was 'safe, effective and reduces waiting times', and that such a change would 'devastate abortion access in this country'. The changes being debated this week would not cover Scotland, where a group is currently undertaking work to review the law as it stands north of the border. On issues such as abortion, MPs usually have free votes, meaning they take their own view rather than deciding along party lines. The Government has previously said it is neutral on decriminalisation and that it is an issue for Parliament to decide upon.
South Wales Guardian
17-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
‘Cruel' criminalisation of women over abortion must end, says MP ahead of vote
Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi said her amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would remove women from the criminal justice system in relation to their own pregnancies, ensuring they could not face investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment. She said the UK's 'Victorian' abortion law is 'increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls' and that her amendment is the 'right change at the right time' and a 'once-in-a-generation' opportunity to bring change. Abortion in England and Wales remains a criminal offence but is legal with an authorised provider up to 24 weeks, with very limited circumstances allowing one after this time, such as when the mother's life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability. It is also legal to take prescribed medication at home if a woman is less than 10 weeks pregnant. Efforts to change the law to protect women from prosecution follow repeated calls to repeal sections of the 19th-century law, the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, after abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019. Ms Antoniazzi said her proposed 'narrow, targeted' measure does not change how abortion services are provided or the rules under the 1967 Abortion Act. She said: 'This piece of legislation will only take women out of the criminal justice system because they are vulnerable and they need our help. As I have said it before, and I will say it again, just what public interest is this serving? This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.' She added that her amendment is backed by 180 MPs from across the Commons and 50 organisations including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). The MP assured her colleagues the current 24-week limit would remain, abortions would still require the approval and signatures of two doctors, and that healthcare professionals 'acting outside the law and abusive partners using violence or poisoning to end a pregnancy would still be criminalised, as they are now'. A separate amendment has also been put forward by Labour MP Stella Creasy and goes further by not only decriminalising abortion, but also seeks to 'lock in' the right of someone to have one and protect those who help them. Ms Creasy's amendment will also be debated but 'will fall' if Ms Antoniazzi's is passed by MPs, the Commons heard. Referring to Ms Creasy's amendment, Ms Antoniazzi said while she agreed 'more comprehensive reform of abortion law is needed', such change of that scale should take place through a future separate piece of legislation. Conservative MP and Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, speaking against both amendments, described them as 'not pro-woman' and argued they 'would introduce sex-selective abortion'. DUP MP Carla Lockhart insisted 'both lives matter', saying the proposed amendments 'would be bad for both women and unborn children'. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is not present for Tuesday's vote, outlined her opposition to both amendments in a letter to constituents, saying while she believes safe and legal abortions are part of female healthcare, the amendments 'unnecessary' and 'dangerous'. The issue of women investigated by police over suspected illegal abortions has come to the fore in recent times with prominent cases such as those of Nicola Packer and Carla Foster. Ms Packer was cleared by a jury last month after taking prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home. She told jurors during her trial, which came after more than four years of police investigation, that she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. The case of Ms Foster, jailed in 2023 for illegally obtaining abortion tablets to end her pregnancy when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant, eventually saw her sentence reduced by the Court of Appeal and suspended, with senior judges saying that sending women to prison for abortion-related offences is 'unlikely' to be a 'just outcome'. MPs had previously been due to debate similar amendments removing the threat of prosecution against women who act in relation to their own pregnancy at any stage, but these did not take place as Parliament was dissolved last summer for the general election. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has urged MPs to vote against both amendments, saying they would bring about 'the biggest expansion of abortion since 1967″. Alithea Williams, the organisation's public policy manager, said: 'Unborn babies will have any remaining protection stripped away, and women will be left at the mercy of abusers. 'Both amendments would allow abortion up to birth, for any reason. A separate amendment, tabled by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson proposes mandatory in-person consultations for women seeking an abortion before being prescribed at-home medication to terminate a pregnancy. She said her amendment aims to make sure women and girls are safe when they access abortion services. She told the Commons: 'I'm not trying to limit people's access to what is clinically legally available. I'm trying to make sure that people are safe when they do so.' She said the change she has proposed would be to protect women who have been trafficked and forced into sex work or those who have been sexually abused and where a perpetrator is attempting to cover up their crimes by causing a termination. But Ms Antoniazzi said remote access to abortion care was 'safe, effective and reduces waiting times', and that such a change would 'devastate abortion access in this country'. The changes being debated this week would not cover Scotland, where a group is currently undertaking work to review the law as it stands north of the border. On issues such as abortion, MPs usually have free votes, meaning they take their own view rather than deciding along party lines. The Government has previously said it is neutral on decriminalisation and that it is an issue for Parliament to decide upon.
