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Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Maryland students and lawmakers push Hogan to sign college affordability bill

A small group of students and two top Democratic lawmakers called on Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday to sign a bill that they say will help make college more affordable for thousands of students.

Hogan (R) is scheduled to hold his final bill-signing ceremony Thursday, and it remained unclear Monday whether the governor will sign a bill that provides a tax credit of as much as $5,000 for residents who have a student loan debt that exceeds $20,000 and creates a small matching-fund program for families who use the state’s college saving program.

“Helping to relieve student debt for Maryland families is a smart investment for the state. It’s a smart investment that I hope Governor Hogan makes,” said Marc Szczepaniak, a student at University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Szczepaniak said it is a “real struggle” for many of his friends who are saddled with student loans and are anxious about how they will repay them.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

If we make it so those that shouldn't go to college now can - we've lessened the value of the degree and the perception that the degree brings.

Anonymous said...

how about signing something on gun rights Gov ?

Anonymous said...

To prospective students even try for scholarship and grant money anymore? Or do they not want to take the time and effort to try and lessen the financial burden of college. In many cases, if you pay a little extra each month on your loan it will decrease the life of the loan by years! The lenders set it up so they collect the most interest possible! I find it hard to believe that people with student loans can't give up their Starbucks once a week (or whatever unnecessary expenses they may have) to pay down that loan a little faster. Yea, owing someone money sucks... So make it a priority to pay it off and be done!

Anonymous said...

This just postpones the inevitable.
As long as the universities can get away with charging what they charge, they will.
If nobody can afford it anymore, they'll find a way to lower tuition.
But if we keep giving people tax money to pay for their bills.....

Anonymous said...

My wife and I worked extra jobs to help put our son through college. Because we made to much money, he got no assistance at all. He graduated with twenty thousand in student loans and we have about twenty thousand on our home equity. Maybe we shouldn't have worked at all.

Concerned Retiree said...

Make the Universities be fiscally responsible / conservative instead of requiring the Tax Payer to keep giving them money while they get their raises and do not teach knowledge. Do away with tenure. Do away with in State tuition to illegals and ones who were not born and raised in MD. No more tax dollars for the Universities to expand. If they don't have the money / students they don't spend money they don't have. They are supposed to be the educated ones and act like the uneducated ones. I had to pay my tuition / loans in full with three jobs why are they any different. Don't sign the bill Hogan.

Anonymous said...

Sounding more and more like handouts. Yep 1:41, de-valuing an education....yuck

Anonymous said...

Student loans should be tax deductible because it's an actual economic investment in yourself. Why can businesses write off expense if you can't?