Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced legislation to make community and technical colleges tuition-free.
What the Bill Does
Rep. Grijalva's America's College Promise Act seeks to fulfill this ambitious goal by creating a federal-state partnership to waive tuition and fees for two years of eligible community and technical college programs, along with provisions to support institutions in improving enrollment, retention, transfer, and completion rates, especially for underserved students.
More specifically, the bill creates a sliding federal funding share that starts at 100% for the first year and transitions to 80% from the fifth year onward.
Other provisions include establishing a Student Success Fund to support improvements in enrollment, retention, transfers, and completions, and waiving two years of tuition and fees for eligible students attending Tribal Colleges and Universities.
What Grijalva is Saying
"Students in Southern Arizona and across the country should not have to take on tens of thousands of dollars in debt just to get the education and skills they need to build a better future," said Rep. Grijalva in a press release, adding, "The America's College Promise Act is about making sure that opportunity is within reach for every student — whether they are graduating from high school, entering the workforce, changing careers, or returning to the classroom later in life."
"By expanding access to community and technical colleges, we are investing in students, strengthening our workforce, and giving communities the tools they need to thrive," the Arizona congresswoman concluded.
Previous Education Bills
In May, Grijalva introduced the Championing Honest and Responsible Transparency in Education Reform (CHARTER) Act, which tightens rules governing charter schools that enter into contracts with a for-profit entity to operate, oversee, or manage the charter school and do not receive federal funding.
More recently, she introduced three bills expanding opportunities for English-learning students: the Reaching English Learners Act, the Families Learning and Understanding English Together (FLUENT) Act, and the Supporting Young Language Learners' Access to Bilingual Education (SYLLABLE) Act.
