COMMITTEE ADVANCES MEASURE TO ADDRESS COST OF COLLEGE

Creates commission to address college affordability and degree completion  

AUGUSTA—This afternoon, the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee unanimously approved a bill to address degree completion and the increasing costs of higher education in Maine.

“While higher education may not be for everyone, no one should be denied the opportunity because of cost or uncertainty,” said Senator Rebecca Millett of Cape Elizabeth, the Senate Chair of the committee. “By developing a strategic plan, we will ensure Maine students have the education they need to compete for the jobs of the future, and at a price they can afford.”

The measure creates a commission to student college affordability and college completion and report recommendations to the Education Committee by December 3, 2014. The commission will develop a strategic plan that may include tuition guarantees, increased funding for the State of Maine Grant Program, or a pilot project based on Oregon’s “Pay It Forward” model, which allows students to attend college tuition-free and pay back a portion of their income to the state after they graduate.

“We know that a college degree makes a big difference when it comes to an individual’s earnings — $1 million more over a lifetime than someone who didn’t go to college,” said Rep. Bruce MacDonald, House chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. “We want more Mainers to be able to pursue this path, but some may never set out on it because of the high costs of college. This proposal puts higher education within reach for many more Mainers.”

In Maine, 78 percent of college graduates from public four year colleges have higher education debt and the average debt is nearly $27,000, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.

The measure, S.P. 721 Resolve, To Establish the Commission to Study College Affordability and College Completion, will now be sent to the Senate for a vote.

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