Free College Proposals in Oregon and D.C.

A committee of Oregon's Legislature on Monday advanced a bill that would fund a tuition waiver for community college students, the Statesman Journal of Salem reported. The bill, which the State Senate is now considering, would provide a grant to qualifying students that would fill in the tuition gap that is not covered by other state and federal aid, as well as a $50 tuition term fee students would pay. The state also would cap the annual amount it would spend on the benefit at $10 million, which lawmakers conceded likely would not cover tuition for all students who would qualify (maintaining a 2.5 GPA is a requirement).

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., also are considering a tuition-free community college proposal. Last month the City Council held a hearing on a bill that would create a scholarship to cover tuition and fees for qualifying students who attend the District of Columbia Community College, reported the Community College Daily, a news service of the American Association of Community Colleges.