SENATOR COLLINS TO CO-CHAIR SENATE RURAL EDUCATION CAUCUS

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senator Susan Collins, a longtime education advocate, has been named as a co-chair of the newly formed Senate Rural Education Caucus. Senators from rural states will pool their clout as members of the Caucus in order to advance legislation that will benefit low-population schools.

"As a co-chair of the Senate Rural Education Caucus, I will be able to bolster my efforts on behalf of rural schools and the students who attend them," said Senator Collins. "I look forward to rallying my colleagues who represent states with low-population school districts around initiatives that will benefit our constituents' unique needs. For example, we will use the power of the Caucus to fight for proper federal funding of the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), a law I wrote that allows rural schools the flexibility to combine federal funding."

Senator Collins will co-chair the caucus with Senators John Edwards (D-NC), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Kent Conrad (D-ND).

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