California Lawmaker Proposes Tax On Wealthy To Fund Tuition-Free Public College For In-State Students

SACRAMENTO (CBSLA.com/AP) — Some California Democrats want to make college tuition free for in-state students by taxing very wealthy residents.

Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman said Monday she's introducing a bill to create a 1 percent tax on Californians earning more than $1 million per year. The Stockton Democrat says the tax would provide enough revenue to make public colleges tuition-free for residents.

The bill comes on the heels of a separate proposal by other Assembly Democrats to make college more affordable. That plan aims to make college debt-free for students by helping cover non-tuition related expenses and expanding aid for community college students.

AB1356 requires a two-thirds vote in the Legislature because it would create a new tax.

The University of California system was tuition-free for in-state residents from its founding in the late 1800s until 1970.