Dive Brief:
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, is proposing to make two years of community college or technical school free, while an Oregon bill that would move in the same direction has been sent to the state Senate.
- Haslam received a favorable legislative reaction to his plan for free schooling for residents with high school diplomas or equivalency degrees.
- The Oregon bill would ask a committee to study the idea and report back this year, which could set up a 2015 vote on the proposal.
Dive Insight:
Haslam says the payoff of the plan would be not just economic, but psychological. More people would see job training and education within reach. The cost would be modest. He says the estimated $34 million a year could come from lottery revenue.