Annapolis, MD — Larry Hogan is running so fast away from his record that it’s hard to keep up. This time, Hogan is running away from his record of opposing Democrats’ efforts to give Maryland students access to higher education without saddling them with insurmountable debt.
During the 2018 legislative session, Hogan did nothing to help Democrats pass legislation to provide debt free community college. The bill received only 1 Republican vote in theHouse of Delegates and not a single Republican supported the measure in the Senate.
This year isn’t the first time Hogan and his Republican colleagues failed to stand with Democrats to tackle student debt. In 2016, Hogan refused to support Democrats’ student debt relief bill, which gave students with more than $20,000 in student debt a $5,000 tax credit.
“Democrats have been working for years on legislation to address college debt, which was met with opposition by the Hogan administration,” said Senator Paul Pinsky, lead sponsor of the bill in the Maryland Senate. “I’m pleased that Maryland students from working- and middle-class families will now be able to pursue a college education without becoming saddled with debt, but it’s unfortunate that Governor Hogan and Republican legislators have not been allies in the fight against college debt.”
“Democrats in Maryland have been fighting to make college affordable for years and Governor Hogan has not been an ally in that fight,” said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews. “It shouldn’t take an election year and a hostile political climate for Republicans for Hogan to see that college affordability is one of the most pressing issues facing young people. Marylanders struggling with college debt need an advocate in the Governor’s Mansion every year, not just election years.”