March 4, 2021

Testimony in support of HB 6404 AN ACT FUNDING THE DEBT-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM.

Senator Haskell, Representative Elliot and members of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. Thank you for holding this very important hearing on House Bill 6404.

Senate Democrats have been a strong advocate for debt-free college here in . We were proud to sponsor the bill in 2019 and were thrilled when it became law during the 2019 session. As this legislation has become policy of the Board of Regents entitled the Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT) we are excited about the potential it provides for Connecticut.

The bill before you contemplates various methods of providing funding for this critical program. We are very encouraged and appreciative of Governor Lamont including funding for the program in his proposed budget. As this program has been implemented, the lack of a long-term funding source appears to be the only threat to this program's overwhelming success.

Because of the lack of full funding, this program has been implemented on a somewhat limited basis but the results from this first year are very positive.

In the fall of 2020 over 3100 students enrolled in the PACT program in our community colleges. As many of you may be aware, nationally community colleges saw a drastic drop off in enrollment during the pandemic. Connecticut has had a slow decline in enrollment in our community colleges since the end of the last great recession. Having the PACT program has allowed our community colleges to fight against the tide of enrollment decline. Full time enrollment remained strong last fall despite the challenges that COVID-19 has brought.

Funding of this program is critical to maximize enrollment going forward.

______Martin M. Looney President Pro Tempore Senate Majority Leader State Senator 11th District State Senator 25th District

______Mary Daugherty Abrams Norm Needleman State Senator 13th District State Senator 33rd District

______Will Haskell State Senator 26th District State Senator 22nd District

______Jorge Cabrera State Senator 17th District State Senator 24th District

______Christine Cohen Doug McCrory State Senator 12th District State Senator 2nd District

______Saud Anwar Marilyn Moore State Senator 3rd District State Senator 22nd District

______Joan Hartley State Senator 15th District State Senator 4th District

______James Maroney State Senator 14th District