The Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee recently advanced legislation that would assist higher education institutions experiencing financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senate Bill 1226 would allocate $130 million in federal CARES Act funding to create a grant program. Grants would be used to cover costs incurred because of the pandemic.
A total of $10 million would be granted to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, $10 million to Lincoln University, $25 million each to Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Penn State University, and $35 million to community colleges.
Earlier this year, the Senate adopted legislation to allocate more than $72 million in CARES Act funding to the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and PA State System of Higher Education universities.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny County) and State Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia County) sponsored the bill.
“Pennsylvania’s state-related institutions, community colleges, and technical schools have suffered great financial setbacks due to the pandemic,” Tartaglione said. “Despite these challenges, our higher education community has responded to this crisis in numerous ways to assist students and the entire Commonwealth as we navigate this uncharted territory.”
The bill moves to the full Senate for consideration.