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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Lawmakers propose caps on college fees

Lawmakers propose caps on college fees

Lawmakers propose caps on college fees

Lawmakers in Sacramento are proposing limits on skyrocketing student fees for higher education in California as campuses across the state have seen unrest and even violent protests over increased student costs.

On Wednesday, a state Senate committee heard four proposals to cap the annual growth of student fees and to ensure a delay between a fee's approval and its application. The proposals, which come from members of both parties and include a state constitutional amendment, are likely to be merged into a single bill in the coming weeks.

"Increases in fees may be inevitable, but they should be gradual and predictable," said Sen. Carol Liu, D-La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles County), the author of one of the four bills.

The four proposals are:

-- Capping fee increases at a maximum 10 percent per year, with a 180-day waiting period before they are implemented for CSU students, with a recommendation that UC Regents do the same. It was proposed by Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced.

-- Amending the state Constitution to mandate UC Regents adopt those changes. The



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/14/MNG51CUP7Q.DTL#ixzz0lAa5oPi6