Community college coursework is often promoted as a less expensive and more accessible option for many students to pursue higher education. In the latest edition of the Taxpayer's Tab, NTUF analyzed a bill that would fund $8 billion worth of grants for these programs.
Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and Senator Al Franken (D-MN) introduced H.R. 2560/S. 1269, the Community College to Career Fund Act, to fund partnerships between community colleges and private businesses. The bill would provide $2.7 billion per year over three years, which would help create paid internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training programs for community college students. Businesses looking to hire skilled workers could receive additional funding based on a pay for performance model that sponsors say incentivizes partnerships to help create permanent jobs. The proposal is identical to one that President Obama offered in his own budget.
In addition to that bill, the latest edition of the Tab also features:
- Rep. Tom Marino's H.R. 2641, the Responsibility and Professionally Invigorating Development (RAPID) Act of 2013, would streamline environmental assessment procedures. It would cost $5 million over 5 years, or $1 million per year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
- Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) introduced H.R. 1787/S. 842, the Rural Hospital Access Act of 2013, earlier this year. Since then, NTUF has updated its cost estimate for the bill, which would require $400 million in the first year of implementation. The bills have the support of 65 cosponsors in the House and 26 in the Senate.
- Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has proposed S. 1563, the Biofuels Market Expansion Act of 2013, which would provide $1 billion over five years to fund ethanol fuel pump installations at gas stations across the country, as well as pipeline construction for biofuels and additional federal regulations.
For more on these bills as well as a roundup of NTUF's other recent work, check out the tab online (and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list for future updates).