America’s College Promise Act creates new state-federal partnerships to connect students with skills to land a good paying job and meet the economy’s demands
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) along with U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced bicameral legislation with Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), and Madeleine Dean (D-PA-03) to make two-year technical and community college accessible to more Americans by waiving tuition for eligible students.
“Community colleges provide a springboard for students who wish to continue their education and a foundation for students to find good paying jobs through quality job training programs. I am proud to say that Illinois has prioritized higher education funding so that free community college, which gives motivated students a path to receiving a solid education without debt, is attainable. It’s time we also prioritize this funding at the federal level to start growing a stronger workforce,” said Durbin.
The America’s College Promise Act of 2023 will make the skills and credentials necessary to succeed in our economy more accessible to all students by creating a new federal-state partnership to provide two years of tuition-free community or technical college. Specifically, America’s College Promise Act of 2023:
- Creates a partnership between the federal government and states to waive tuition and fees for two years of community and technical college programs for eligible students while promoting key reforms to accelerate student success;
- Creates a sliding scale for federal share beginning at 100% for the first year and ending at 80% for the fifth and subsequent years;
- Ensures that programs offer academic credits that are transferable to four-year institutions in their state or occupational training that leads to recognized credentials;
- Maintains and encourages state funding for higher education;
- Establishes a student success fund to improve enrollment, retention, transfer, or completion rates and labor market outcomes for underserved student populations, including students of color and low-income and first-generation college students who attend community and technical colleges at disproportionate rates;
- Waives two years of tuition and fees for eligible students at tribal colleges and universities; and
Establishes a new grant program to provide pathways to success at historically Black colleges, universities, and minority-serving institutions by covering a significant portion of low-income students’ tuition and fees for the first two years of attendance.
“Those of us who weren’t always sure we’d be able to go to college understand the power of a diploma,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to help introduce this bicameral legislation because making community colleges more accessible can help prepare more hard-working Americans for fulfilling and good-paying careers. Our nation’s future becomes brighter when all communities can access opportunities for higher education.”
America’s College Promise Act of 2023 is co-sponsored by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), in addition to seven co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The American Federation of Teachers supports the bicameral legislation along with the AFL-CIO, the Association of Community College Trustees, The Education Trust, The Hope Center at Temple University, The National Education Association, The Century Foundation Higher Education Team, Higher Learning Advocates, The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars, American Association of Community Colleges, Young Invincibles, and Jobs for the Future.