Senate Committees Pass Bill to Help Students Afford College
April 26, 2019
Denver, CO – The Senate Education Committee recently voted 3-to-2 and the Senate Appropriations Committee this morning voted 7-to-3 to pass HB19-1187, Increase Student Aid Application Completion Rates, a bill sponsored by Senator Jeff Bridges (D-Greenwood Village) that will help more students afford college by increasing student aid application rates across the state. The bill now heads to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
During the 2015-16 academic year, approximately fifty million dollars worth of federal Pell Grants were unclaimed because Colorado students did not complete or submit the free application for federal student aid. This bill will make it easier to complete those applications, ultimately helping many Coloradans afford a college degree.
“If we are serious about giving every student in Colorado a fair shot at success, we need to make sure they can graduate college without tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt,” said Senator Bridges. “We can decrease the financial burden of college by simply helping students complete student aid applications. It’s a fiscally responsible win for our students and our state’s budget.”
This bill requires the General Assembly to provide funding to the state board of education who will allocate the funds to education providers in order to help low-income students and families complete and submit applications for federal or state student aid.
For more information on this bill please visit: http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1187.
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