Clinton Pushes College Aid Plan

President Clinton on Saturday urged Congress to enact one final education initiative as his time in office nears an end: a 10-year, $30-billion tax cut to help families pay for college tuition.

“It would make a big difference to a lot of families in this audience today,” Clinton said as he addressed more than 6,000 people attending the 126th commencement exercise at Carleton College, a highly regarded--and expensive--liberal arts school with 1,800 students about 35 miles south of Minneapolis.

Clinton’s plan, contained in his proposed budget for the next fiscal year, would allow families--even those in higher tax brackets--to save up to $2,800 a year by deducting $10,000 in some cases in college tuition.

The lame-duck president said his proposal is a logical extension of the array of higher education reforms during his two terms that have more than doubled college aid--”The greatest expansion since the G.I. Bill 50 years ago,” he boasted.

Both Clinton’s speech here and his weekly Saturday radio address highlighted perhaps the hallmark of his presidency: improving the benefits and assistance available to working families.

In his radio speech, Clinton touted initiatives aimed at making it easier for families to care for newborn children or a seriously ill relative.

Foremost among the measures is one encouraging states to pay unemployment benefits to parents who take unpaid leave from work to care for a baby or adopted child.

“People are working more jobs and longer hours than ever before, forcing many of them to make the unacceptable choice between being good workers and the best parents or caregivers,” Clinton said.

Clinton also announced that federal employees, beginning June 20, will be permitted to take up to 12 weeks of paid sick leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition.

Workers already may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave after the birth of a child or to look after a sick relative under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which Clinton signed in 1993.

But many simply cannot afford to sacrifice a paycheck.

A top congressional Republican attacked Clinton’s proposal that states tap unemployment funds for family leaves, saying it will “shred the safety net for the unemployed.”

“Rather than providing tax relief so working families can spend more time at home together and less time at work, Clinton is proposing to raid state unemployment insurance trust funds,” said Rep. J.C. Watts Jr. (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Clinton’s speech at Carleton was his 23rd and final commencement address as president. In pressing for action on his tuition tax-break proposal, he said, “Our country cannot afford to leave any students behind simply because they can’t afford to pay for college.”

Annual tuition and other costs at Carleton exceed $29,000, and Clinton told his listeners, “I’ll bet there are a lot of parents here who have taken second mortgages or second jobs to help pay those tuition bills.”

Clinton cited data showing that a bachelor’s degree holder will earn, over the course of a lifetime, on average $600,000 more than a person with only a high school diploma.

“The value of a college education in sheer economic terms is going up,” he said.

The outdoor commencement exercise was threatened by a downpour less than an hour before it was to begin, sending people scattering for cover. But nearly just as quickly, the rain stopped and the sun broke through sporadically during the commencement.

A few exuberant graduates among the 423 Carleton seniors approached Clinton with high-fives, and the president happily obliged.

It was the first time an incumbent president has spoken at Carleton.

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Times staff writer Richard Simon contributed to this story.