On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced resolutions to "ensure that students have access to debt-free higher education," The Washington Post reported.
The proposals outline a plan to "provide support" to states so they can better fund university systems, to increase financial aid to cover students' living expenses, and to encourage innovation that would make college more affordable. The coalition advancing the resolutions includes six senators and 32 representatives.
"A student at a public university today faces tuition prices that are more than 300 percent of what his or her parents faced just 30 years ago, and total outstanding student loan debt now stands at a staggering $1.3 trillion," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in a news release announcing the resolutions. "Our country should be investing in higher education and working with colleges and universities to bring down tuition costs so that students don't have to take on crushing debt to get an education."
The push comes amid a broader effort by the Democratic Party to promote college affordability as a central issue in the 2016 presidential campaign — and is intended to encourage Hillary Clinton to propose a national plan for debt-free college, according to the Post.
Related Links
Congressional Progressive Caucus Press Release
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/hot-topics/sens-schatz-schumer-warren-reps-grijalva-ellison-clark-introduce-resolutions-to-support-student-access-to-debtfree-college1/
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/04/21/liberal-democrats-pressure-clinton-to-advocate-debt-free-college/