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Murphy is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
During their meeting, Murphy and Himes discussed their College Affordability and Innovation Act – legislation that will make college more affordable by prioritizing innovation and holding schools accountable for meeting minimum standards.
The legislators explained to students that by encouraging colleges to innovate and holding them accountable to the students they serve, the College Affordability and Innovation Act will help curb rising college costs, reduce reliance on costly student loans and expand economic opportunity for all students.
“The kids we met with today all want to go to college, but they are all worried that tuition will be too expensive to afford," said Murphy.
"The legislation that Rep. Himes and I introduced will incentivize schools to create new, innovative programs to reduce the cost of school while improving the quality of the degree and will set new standards for schools that receive federal funding so that they’re more accountable to students and taxpayers. The federal government needs to get serious about lowering the cost of college rather than simply making it easier for kids to borrow more money.”
Himes said, “This means making higher education a reality for everyone who wants it and is willing to put in the work. But it’s bad for the country if an entire generation is saddled with crushing student-loan debt, and when I talk to high school students it’s always at the very top of their concerns. This bill will start to rein in college costs by incentivizing innovative solutions."
Murphy and Himes introduced their bill earlier this month, on the heels of a new report that Connecticut’s community college students who transfer to the University of Connecticut lose more than 20 percent of the credits that transferred over to UConn, subsequently delaying their graduation and increasing their costs by $6,350.
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