The Governor has indicated his support for giving $37.5 million in corporate welfare subsidies to Northrup Grumman but he hasn’t yet taken a position on this bill. State Sen. Rich Madaleno has started an online petition to encourage Gov. Larry Hogan to sign the College Affordability Act:

We have a serious problem in our state.  Too many Maryland students simply cannot afford to go to college, and too many graduates are loaded down with excessive amounts of student debt – the average debt of a college graduate in Maryland exceeded $27,000 last year.  If we do not get control of the spiraling cost of college, we will confine a generation of our young people to poor employment and economic opportunities.

This year the Maryland General Assembly passed “The College Affordability Act of 2016” (SB676 & HB1014) to address this serious concern.

This landmark bill helps Maryland families and graduates in the following critical ways:

• Encourages families to save for college by offering matching funds for anyone who puts money annual into a college savings account, and
• Reduces the cost of student loans by providing tax credits to Marylanders paying down their student debt.

The College Affordability Act of 2016 will impact up to 20,000 Maryland families every year, and it passed the General Assembly with overwhelming majorities.

Now it’s time for Governor Hogan to sign the bill into law!

Sign the petition to help amp up the pressure on the Governor to take a small step towards reducing college debt. It’s a Change Maryland should support.