Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) introduced legislation on Wednesday to make college tuition free for many Americans, which would be paid for by a tax on Wall Street.
The bill would make community college tuition-free for everyone and four-year public colleges tuition-free and debt-free for students from families making up to $125,000 per year.
“In the 21st century, a free public education system that goes from kindergarten through high school is no longer good enough. The time is long overdue to make public colleges and universities tuition-free and debt-free for working families,” Sanders said in a statement.
Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, added that the bill would “free students from a lifetime of debt, invest in working people, and transform higher education across America.”
The bill would also allow students from families who make up to $125,000 per year to attend private, non-profit minority-serving institutions tuition-free including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions.