Bipartisan Senate Bill Aimed at Rural Students

A bipartisan bill unveiled in the U.S. Senate last week would create a demonstration program designed to encourage groups in rural communities to partner together to encourage students to pursue higher education, graduate and enter the workforce.

Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and Senator Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, introduced the bill. It would spend $60 million per year for six years to help expose rural students and their families to college campuses and programs. The project also would seek to remove financial aid barriers and could include work-based learning through apprenticeships, internships and stackable career credential programs.