This week, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA.) announced a bicameral effort to codify President Obama’s America’s College Promise initiative through new legislation. The America’s College Promise Act would create a new federal program to provide financial support to students pursuing postsecondary education at community colleges, as well as low-income students seeking bachelor’s degrees at minority serving institutions.
The legislation would create a partnership between the federal government, states and Indian tribes to pay for tuition and fees while the student is enrolled at least half-time with satisfactory academic performance, with 75 percent of funds coming from the federal government and 25 percent coming from the state.
The lawmakers, along with Senate cosponsor Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, announced the bill on a press call. Baldwin stated that “America needs out-educate the rest of the world in order to better compete in a 21st century, skills based economy,” and emphasized the importance of ensuring that affordability does not prevent students from obtaining postsecondary education.
ACTE is supportive of efforts to improve access to and expand postsecondary CTE, and issued a statement on America’s College Promise when it was first by President Obama in January. We will monitor the legislation’s progress and work with our members to ensure that CTE’s priorities for postsecondary education are reflected in Washington.
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