Federal government pays for free community college, states help pay over time.
S. 5665 — America’s College Promise Act of 2026 · Filed by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Sep 30, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill makes community college tuition free for students who qualify. The federal government pays all the cost at first. It pays less each year until 2032. States must pay the rest. The bill also gives money to states and tribal colleges. This money helps students succeed through tutoring and job training. Schools that join must stop charging tuition and fees.
Who it affects
Community college students get free tuition. Low-income students and first-generation students get extra help. States must pay part of the cost and follow new rules.
One thing to notice
The federal government pays 100% at first but drops to 80% by 2032. States must pay more money over time. Students can only use the program for six semesters.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
6 cosponsors: 6 Democrats.
- Sep 30, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Sep 30, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- community college — A school after high school that gives two-year degrees and job training.
- federal government — The U.S. government in Washington, D.C., that makes laws for the whole country.
- tribal colleges — Schools run by Native American tribes that give degrees and job training.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (50,094 characters) on Oct 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Federal government pays for free community college, states help pay over time.” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s5665/simple Report an error
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