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Senate Finance hears proposals to reduce student costs, restore university funding
Summary
Senate Finance heard sponsor testimony on SB 407 (a per‑student tuition reduction proposal) and SB 604 (restoring $17.5 million to university and community college budgets). Lawmakers pressed sponsors and the University System chancellor on where money would come from and how enrollment declines factor into planning.
Senate Finance opened hearings on two higher‑education funding measures on Feb. 26, with sponsors and University System officials urging the panel to begin a broader conversation about how to stabilize support for public colleges.
Senator James Gray introduced SB 407, proposing a per‑student appropriation intended to lower in‑state tuition for full‑time students. Gray described the proposal as a conversation starter and acknowledged it may not be feasible this year. "I picked it out of a warm, dark place," he said when asked how he arrived at the $300 illustrative figure.
Catherine Provencher, chancellor of the University…
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