Issue Position: Higher Education

Issue Position

As chair of the "Higher Ed" subcommittee I am particularly pleased with the General Assembly's actions on college tuition. This year the House of Delegates passed legislation to make it easier for middle class families to afford college by lowering the price of Prepaid 529 plans. The legislation will lower the current cost of an eight-semester contract by more than $3,000. Additionally, for the last several legislative cycles, the General Assembly and Virginia's colleges/universities have wrestled with rising tuition rates and concerns of "unaffordability" for many Virginians. Although initiated in the Appropriations Committee, I was deeply involved in discussions and heard from many citizens regarding rising tuition. This year Virginia's budget provided additional funding for colleges and universities; however, in order to receive the funding, each college/university must "freeze" tuition rates for a period of time. Unfortunately, this "carrot and stick" approach was necessary because the last time funding was increased for colleges and universities, with the understanding tuition would be frozen, some institutions raised rates anyway. As an added measure and despite significant opposition from higher education institutions, legislation was passed mandating that each Virginia college and university receive public input before raising its tuition.

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