[caption id=”attachment_140086″ align=”aligncenter” width=”5184″] Lawmakers debate bills in the Oregon House of Representatives at the state Capitol in Salem, Ore. (AP Photo/Jonathan J. Cooper)
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Oregon will likely become the second state in the nation to offer free community college thanks to a last-minute bill passed by legislators this week.
State Sen. Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) sponsored the bill, saying that a lot of needy students who might attend community college are missing out on federal grants that could pay for much of their education.
His legislation offers them an incentive to do so, the Willamette Week reported.
“A lifetime of food stamps is much more expensive than the annual community college tuition of $3,000,” Hass told his fellow lawmakers, urging them to pass the bill.
The bill received significant bipartisan support.
If the bill is signed into law, Oregon will begin its program in 2016. Program expenditures will be capped at $10 million per year.
