TRENTON – A bill that would establish a commission to study college tuition rates was released from the Senate Higher Education committee today.
The bill, S1871, was released following a unanimous vote of support. It would establish the Commission on College Tuition.
“They come out of college with a huge debt … and it’s a tremendous burden,” said Sen. Gerald Cardinale, (R-39), the bill’s sponsor, referring to young adults graduating college.
The 11-member commission would make recommendations to the Legislature and executive branch on how to best curb the rising cost of college tuition in the state.
According to the legislation, the commission would identify the factors that contribute to rising costs, how tuition levels have changed in the past decade and it would examine why tuition levels vary across the different sectors of higher education.
The secretary of Higher Education, two Senate appointees, two General Assembly appointees and six gubernatorial appointees would serve on the Commission on College Tuition.
The commission would be required to issue a final report to the governor and Legislature within six months of its organizational meeting.
