Nov. 08, 2023
By Rep. Torren Ecker (R-Adams/Cumberland)
For the past few months, my Republican colleagues and I have been pushing for more transparency at Pennsylvania’s state-related schools – Penn State, Temple, Lincoln and the University of Pittsburgh – and a tuition freeze to provide some relief to college students.
Recently, both goals were accomplished when the House approved two pieces of legislation to freeze tuition for the 2024-25 school year and to bring the schools into compliance with our Right-to-Know laws. This was able to happen through work with the schools, the governor’s administration and House Democrats.
Pennsylvania’s four state-related schools receive taxpayer dollars to offset tuition. It is vitally important that residents can ask questions through Right-to-Know requests about how the money is spent, among other things. For years, the schools would shield information from taxpayers because they were exempt from parts of our transparency laws. With the passage of
House Bill 1556, they will fall under the law.
The tuition freeze will provide much-needed financial relief to college students and their families as inflation continues to wreak havoc on wallets. This will help make the dream of a college education a reality for many Pennsylvanians.
The bipartisanship needed to gain approval in the House for these bills is, I hope, just the beginning and a sign of what’s to come when we can bridge our differences and work for the betterment of all Pennsylvanians.
Representative Torren Ecker
193rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives