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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Philadelphia/Montgomery
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Boyle, Payton continuing to 'REACH' for affordable college education
HARRISBURG, Oct. 5 – In response to Auditor General Jack Wagner's recent endorsement of a Georgia program aimed at making college more affordable for students, state Reps. Brendan Boyle and Tony Payton said they will continue to push for legislation they co-authored that would implement the program in Pennsylvania.
Wagner, who is running for governor in 2010, said relieving the financial burden of higher education costs would be a key priority in his gubernatorial agenda and cited Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program, which has resulted in significant improvements in both the state's secondary and higher education systems.
Boyle and Payton have already introduced legislation modeled after the Georgia program. Their legislation is called the Reliable Educational Assistance for College Hopefuls, or REACH, program.
"We are pleased that Auditor General Wagner is taking our idea and making it an important part of his campaign," Boyle, D-Phila./Montgomery, said. "The REACH program has been a top priority of mine and Representative Payton's since we began working on it together four years ago. Our bill to create the REACH program, House Bill 467, has strong support in the state House, and we'll continue to advocate its passage until it becomes law and makes college more affordable in Pennsylvania."
Like Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program, the REACH program would create a statewide, merit-based scholarship program for all students in Pennsylvania who maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average and a 90 percent attendance record. It would offer these students a scholarship covering all tuition and fees to any university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
"It's unfortunate that there are many bright and capable people out there who
are denied a college education simply because they cannot afford tuition, books
and other fees associated with higher learning," Payton, D-Phila., said.
"Not only is it unfair to talented students, but it's disadvantageous to
the state over the long term. By giving Pennsylvania’s best and brightest an
incentive to stay in-state both during and after college, REACH would create a
stronger tax base of young professionals, encourage economic growth and combat
the population crisis that threatens Pennsylvania’s economic future."
Boyle explained that because Pennsylvania has the fastest-growing population of elderly residents in the United States, they are dwarfing the anemic population growth of 18-to-44-year-olds in Pennsylvania. Unless something is done to address the "brain drain," Payton added, Pennsylvanians that do remain in the state will be met with a daunting tax burden.
House Bill 467 awaits consideration by the House Education Committee.