For Youth Development

Amna Qureshi

Central Florida Delegation

President Barack Obama’s most recent State of the Union address made higher education a priority. He proposed a plan to pay approximately $60 billion to make two years of community college free for students. A senior administration official praised the initiative saying, “Students receiving federal financial aid could use those resources for books, supplies, transportation and any other cost of going to college." The White House confirmed that there will be no age or high school diploma requirements. The proposed funds will be distributed through state grants that are, according to the White House, “conditioned on offering free tuition and ensuring the quality of institutions".

The President also spoke of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) during his address. FAFSA is another educational proponent targeted by Obama. He and the administration plan to eliminate 27 of the "most burdensome and difficult-to-verify" questions from the 100+ question application. The President’s proposal keeps questions pertaining income and college choices, however it would eliminate queries about untaxed veterans’ benefits and clergy pay. The simplification of the FAFSA is major priority of Senator Lamar Alexander. Sen. ALexander wants the FAFSA reduced to two questions.

There are even more revisions to higher education policy within President Obama’s address. He plans to make all current federal direct student loan borrowers eligible for the federal government’s most generous loan repayment plan. The Education Department plans to begin negotiations regarding the next steps for the “Pay As You Earn” repayment plan proposed by the President. The program requires payment of 10 percent of the borrower’s income and will forgive remaining debt after 20 years.

All of the points that President Obama prioritized will lead to more accessible quality education for Americans. Interestingly, President Obama’s new policies correlate with the points detailed in the 2014-2015 Youth in Government Legislative agenda.It goes hand in hand with one of the Legislative Agenda’s priorities,  For The Youth: Fair Access to Quality Education.