Rep. Matzie, a member of the state House of Representatives’ Community College Caucus, spoke before hundreds of student advocates and the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges in the Capitol Rotunda as deliberations on the 2017-18 state budget ramp up before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.

Rep. Matzie spoke before a packed Capitol Rotunda on April 4 in favor of adequate funding for Pennsylvania's 14 community colleges.

“You will find no better avenue than our community colleges for elevating incomes and ensuring brighter futures throughout the land," Rep. Matzie testified.

“Investing responsibly in cost-efficient, proven community colleges – and I am a product of one of the excellent community colleges – is wise and warranted,” said Rep. Matzie, noting that tuitions at Pennsylvania’s community colleges average slightly more than $3,000, not quite half the cost of Pennsylvania’s other public postsecondary offerings.