EDITOR’S NOTE: FORD WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS AT A RECEPTION AT 1 P.M. ON MAY 14 IN THE RED ROOM AT THE UA SCHOOL OF LAW

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Congressman Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) will deliver The University of Alabama School of Law’s commencement address on Friday, May 14, at 3 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.

A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Law, Ford was sworn in to represent the 9th District of Tennessee in 1996. He is now serving his fourth term in the House. Ford’s main focus has been improving education, and he served on the Education and the Workforce Committee for three terms.

He authored the “Make College Affordable Act” to help working families meet the rising costs of tuition. The bill called for a tax deduction for higher education expenses and became law as part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Currently, Ford serves on the House Financial Services Committee and on the House Budget Committee.

Ford was the keynote speaker at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.