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Students and unions press for debt-free public higher education; lawmakers seek implementation detail
Summary
Students, labor groups and several legislators urged the Joint Committee on Higher Education to back debt-free public higher education legislation that would cover tuition and mandatory fees across public two- and four-year institutions. Witnesses said the policy would increase degree completion and economic mobility; lawmakers asked for fiscal
The Joint Committee on Higher Education heard broad support Friday for legislation to make public higher education debt-free across Massachusetts public colleges and universities. Students, union leaders and legislators described the bills as the next step after free community college and pressed lawmakers to resolve implementation, timing and funding questions.
Why it matters: Proponents said debt-free public higher education would reduce lifetime student indebtedness, increase degree completion and support state economic growth. Testimony linked the proposal to workforce needs in nursing, teaching and public-service professions; advocates argued broad affordability would especially help first-generation and low-income students.
Senator Jason Eldridge, one of the bill's sponsors, described…
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