Assemblyman Brian Curran (Lynbrook-21st AD) today condemned New York State Assembly Democrats for blocking a tuition assistance program (TAP) bill in the Higher Education Committee, which meant to make college more affordable for students in middle class families. Curran co-sponsors the legislation.
“There was a time when college used to be affordable and when you graduated, you had a job to help pay off your loans,” said Curran. “Today, families are struggling to even reach basic college affordability due to the prohibitive costs, and when students do graduate, they are saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in loan debt. For the Assembly Democrats to make a move like this against basic college affordability really tells a story of where their priorities are – they would rather give free college tuition assistance to undocumented immigrants than to middle class families who want their child(ren) to go to college, but cannot afford it.”
The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) helps eligible New York residents pay tuition at approved schools in New York State. Depending on the academic year in which one begins study, an annual TAP award can be up to $5,165. Because TAP is a grant, it does not have to be paid back.
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Assembly Bill 5809-A seeks to increase the maximum amount of a TAP award to $6,470, phased in over two years, and increases the income eligibility from $80,000 to $100,000.
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