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Lawmakers question governor's higher ed spending plan

Posted at 2:00 AM, Feb 05, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-05 02:00:41-05

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Some New York lawmakers have called on the governor to do more to help low-income college students instead of following through with his proposal that would benefit mostly upper-class students.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed letting slightly wealthier students qualify for the tuition-free Excelsior Scholarship program at colleges.

Cuomo's plan would let a family making up to $135,000 per year qualify for the program, up from the current $125,000 cutoff.

Assembly members Deborah Glick and Harvey Epstein, both Democrats, said at a budget hearing Tuesday that the proposal doesn't do enough to help financially struggling students at a time when the governor also proposes continuing $200-a-year public tuition hikes.