Martin O'Malley: I addressed student debt in MD—today I announced a plan for the nation

Martin O'Malley ‏@MartinOMalley
70% of students face student debt upon graduation. I addressed this in MD—today, I announced a plan for the nation:read plan here: http://omly.us/1eFS4zq






NHIOP ‏@nhiop
@MartinOMalley at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics this morning to discuss student debt with professors, students, and parents




Paige Sutherland ‏@psutherlandNHPR 2h2 hours ago
O'Malley says federal gov needs to restore cuts to Pell Grants, also challenges every state to freeze tuition @NHPR #FITN




Paige Sutherland ‏@psutherlandNHPR
Gov. O'Malley talks to NH students about how he would lower college debt if elected president @nhpr #FITN #nhpolitics




Paige Sutherland ‏@psutherlandNHPR
O'Malley says Congress needs to reset interest rates for federal loans; tuition should be tied to median income @NHPR




O'Malley for NH ‏@omalleyfornh
@MartinOMalley makes an impromptu stop to meet voters at Blake's in Manchester with Alderman Dan O'Neil




Matt Sheaff ‏@MattSheaff
@MartinOMalley talking about debt free college plan with voters at Blakes's in Manchester #nhpolitics


Martin O’Malley unveiled his plan for debt-free college today, nearly three months after endorsing the idea in a Washington Post op-ed during a roundtable talk this morning on affordability at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, before heading to Concord for a 3 p.m. meeting with the National Education Association’s Granite State chapter. O’Malley’s daughter Grace, a Baltimore public school teacher who says her family faces years of debt because she chose the college she dreamt of rather than one she could afford, solicited stories [http://bit.ly/1Co5ZVS] from her dad’s supporters Tuesday. “To really make a dent in student debt, the federal government will have to act,” she said.

— O’Malley’s goal: “That all students have access to a high-quality debt-free college education within five years, attainable at any in-state public college or university.” The plan includes student loan refinancing, automatic borrower enrollment in income-based repayment programs with loan forgiveness options, and freezing and reducing public tuition rates. The candidate would restore state higher ed funding through federal partnerships, increase Pell Grants and “expand and modernize work-study.” O’Malley also has a blueprint to increase national college completion rates by 25 percentage points within 10 years — while eliminating discrepancies based on race and income — and expand the gainful employment regulations.

— The candidate has a track record of keeping tuition down, if not free. From 2006-10, he froze tuition at all University System of Maryland campuses and at Morgan State University, and he held down costs with public college tuition freezes in 2013. From 2008-10, he increased college appropriations to offset the freezes, and authorized more than $220 million in state capital funds to community colleges. He also budgeted more than $333 million for grants and scholarships, and in 2011, signed legislation extending in-state tuition to undocumented students. (h/t Education Commission of the States)

— The former governor also has a strong record of investing in career training and STEM education, and historically black colleges and universities, a former press aide notes. “I think he has witnessed both personally — with two kids recently through college and more on the way — and through his career as a public servant, the burdens of student loans,” the aide said. “He … believes that the success of our people is directly tied in with our ability to innovate and get more people college- and career-ready.”


John Fritze ‏@jfritze
@MartinOMalley froze tuition in Md. for years & then capped hikes at 3%. Tuition fell relative to other states. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-omalley-outline-debtfree-college-plan-20150708-story.html …




Martin O'Malley ‏@MartinOMalley 3m3 minutes ago
Thanks @BoldProgressive @Demos_org for supporting my plan to provide debt-free college for every student.



Here's Martin O'Malley's detailed plan to make higher education affordable, accessible & accountable
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251431537#post8