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New York is not giving away free lunches yet but residents can get free tuition.
Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo’s free tuition plan for middle-class residents was adopted by the New York State Legislature over the weekend.
The plan is estimated to cost NY taxpayers around $163 million a year.
NPR wrote about the details of the tuition plan:
New York state has passed legislation that would create the largest experiment in the country to offer free tuition at two- and four-year colleges. The Excelsior Scholarship, approved over the weekend as part of the state budget, would cover full-time students in the State University of New York system, which totals 64 campuses and 1.3 million students.
As for eligibility, “Students from families making up to $100,000 a year would be eligible in the program’s first year, and by the third year that would increase to $125,000 a year.”
There are a few catches. Students must graduate on time and are also required to work in New York for a specified time.
Cuomo’s tuition plan is another vote buying scheme. New York already suffers from high taxes and creating a tuition entitlement plan will further harm the state’s finances.
It’s also possible Cuomo is using the free tuition plan as a way to connect with progressive voters for a run for president.