To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to facilitate the transition to tuition-free community college in certain States, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates a federal program to make community college tuition-free across the country. States that apply receive grants which they then distribute to community colleges for tuition waivers, institutional capacity building, and emergency financial aid to students.
Who Benefits and How
Community college students benefit by receiving tuition-free education and up to 1500-2500 per year in emergency aid. Community colleges benefit from increased funding for hiring, technology, and wraparound services. Employers benefit from a larger pipeline of credentialed workers.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers bear the cost through open-ended appropriations for fiscal years 2026-2030. States must create interagency committees and administer the grant program. Institutions must submit annual reports on retention, graduation, and use of funds.
Key Provisions
- Creates a tuition-free community college grant program administered by the Secretary of Education
- Provides subgrants for institutional capacity building and wraparound services
- Establishes emergency aid subgrants of up to 1500/2500 per student per year, exempt from federal income tax
- Requires annual reporting on graduation, persistence, transfer rates, and employment outcomes
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a federal grant program to make community college tuition-free for eligible students and provides wraparound support services and emergency aid
Key Policy Areas
Education, Workforce Development, Social Services
Primary Purpose
Establishes a federal grant program to make community college tuition-free for eligible students and provides wraparound support services and emergency aid
Policy Domains
Title I - Tuition-Free Community College
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Community college students
- Community colleges and staff
- Employers in high-demand industries
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- State governments
- Community colleges (reporting)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Smith of Washington introduced the following bill; which was …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Community college students (especially low-income and first-generation), Community college students with dependents, Community college students without dependents
Community colleges receiving subgrants faces effects in multiple directions
Federal Treasury (tax revenue), State education agencies receiving grants, State higher education agencies
Positive-direction: State higher education agencies, Workforce development agencies
Negative-direction: Federal Treasury (tax revenue), State education agencies receiving grants, Taxpayers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Education
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology