Office of Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh
Press Clips
Saturday, March 12, 2016

Alabama opposes San Francisco law requiring guns in homes to be trigger-locked or locked
away (AL.com)

Few recommendations from Alabama drone task force (The Anniston Star)

Alabama DHR program to receive $41 million grant (WSFA)

Montgomery officers to get high-tech body cameras (Montgomery Advertiser)

Firm auditing ASU to be paid another $500,000 (Montgomery Advertiser)

Alabama Senator Richard Shelby named chairman of the Senate Banking Committee (AL.com)

Rubio coming to Alabama in support of Republican push for school choice (Yellowhammer
News)

US gains 252K jobs; unemployment falls to 5.6 pct. (Washington Post)

Obama Plan Would Help Many Go to Community College Free (New York Times)
Alabama opposes San Francisco law requiring guns in
homes to be trigger-locked or locked away
Alabama has joined 26 other states in support of a court brief opposing a San Francisco ordinance that
requires guns in homes to be stored in a locked container or with a trigger lock, the attorney general's
office said.
The amicus brief, filed by the state of Nebraska, asks the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the law,
which was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The locked-gun restriction applies except when the homeowner is carrying the gun.
Attorney General Luther Strange said the law effectively stops a person from being able to use a gun
for protection in the home "since most people don't have time to unlock and remove their gun from
storage during an attack."
The states' brief is in support of an appeal filed by the National Rifle Association and others.
The brief says that if the San Francisco law is determined to pass constitutional muster it would
"undermine the core right protected by the Second Amendment."
The brief says the San Francisco law is similar to a District of Columbia law the Supreme Court found
invalid in 2008, when it found that citizens must be allowed to use handguns for self-defense.
__________
Few recommendations from Alabama drone task force
A state task force on the use of aerial drones concluded its work Thursday with few recommendations
on how Alabama should regulate its burgeoning unmanned aircraft industry.
"We know we've got a heck of a lot of work to do on this issue in Alabama," said Agriculture
Commissioner John McMillan, who headed the Alabama Aerial Systems Task Force.
Gov. Robert Bentley created the group last year to propose rules on the use of drones, which are
becoming increasingly available for use by both government agencies and private companies. A
camera-equipped quadcopter, not much larger than a hobbyist's remote-controlled plane, can sell for
$1,000 or less.
On paper, many proposed uses of drones are illegal, but in practice, they're largely unregulated.
Federal Aviation Administration rules ban any commercial use of drones, but they've been used for
commercial purposes from crop monitoring to wedding photography. Civil liberties advocates worry
about the lack of strict privacy rules, while some police and fire departments have moved ahead with
purchasing drones for future use.
McMillan's group was tasked with coming up with suggestions to regulate the industry by Jan. 15. On
Thursday, the group approved a draft letter to Bentley with only two suggestions: that authority over
drones be given to the Alabama Department of Transportation, and that the task force continue
meeting to advise ALDOT.
"What I don't want to see is the Legislature overreacting and doing something that will hurt," McMillan
said. He said some states have instituted temporary bans on drones, something he believes will hurt
the industry.
FAA officials were expected to release new, less restrictive regulations on drone use by the end of
2014, something that would likely have made Alabama drone policy a more urgent issue, and easier to
formulate. Instead, the FAA began the year by granting permits to a few farms and real estate
companies to use drones commercially.
McMillan downplayed the role of the FAA delay in the task force's lack of recommendations, though he
said there's a need for more detailed rules for drones.
"The United States is falling behind other countries on this," he said. In Japan, he said, drones are
already used in crop dusting.
In past meetings, task force members have discussed the economic potential of a boom in drone sales
— and the potential logistical problems a boom in drones could pose, from privacy lawsuits to airtraffic hazards. At Thursday's meeting, McMillan held up a drone-like toy helicopter a task force
member found crashed in his yard after Christmas.
"At some point, we're going to have an air traffic disaster caused by one of these things when it's
sucked into a jet engine," he said.
Still, the biggest obstacle to drone use may be local residents' concerns about how they'll be used by
police or private operators to keep an eye on average citizens. Task force member Steve Pelham, chief
of staff for Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey, said the privacy issue will likely have to be addressed in the Legislature
before any other drone-related policy can move forward.
"The pressure point in the Legislature is going to be the privacy issue," he said.
The task force appointed a subcommittee to look into law enforcement uses of drones, but the
subcommittee didn't look deeply into privacy issues, according to its final report.
"Due to time constraints, this committee did not significantly address the privacy issue," the report
stated.
__________
Alabama DHR program to receive $41 million grant
Alabama's DHR program is set to receive a $41 million child care grant, Governor Robert Bentley
announced on Thursday.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources, Child Care Division (DHR) has been selected to receive
an Early Head Start Child Care Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Resources. The grant is to be paid out over 5 years at $8.3 million per year.
The department should start receiving the grant beginning in 2015, and will serve 566 children using a
model known as EHSCCP. This model includes establishing partnerships between Head Start
Programs, licensed child care centers and a statewide Family Child Care Hub.
“A strong education foundation is important to a child's success, and investing in our children at an
early age is extremely important,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “This grant is an excellent
investment in Alabama's future.”
The program is said to serve children already receiving child care subsidies and teen mothers and
families who are challenged by child abuse and neglect issues or homelessness. The statewide effort
will include urban and rural counties where there are a high number of children experiencing poverty.
“We plan to use this grant to help children get the early learning they need so they are prepared to
enter the public education system,” said DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. “Children that enter
school with the proper tools have a much higher success rate than those who have received little or no
preparation.”
__________
Montgomery officers to get high-tech body cameras
A 74-year-old black man was dead after being shot by a Selma Police Department officer. The officer
was not indicted. But this time everyone could see why he wasn't — literally see it.
The Selma Police Department has 26 or 27 body cameras, and the officer involved in the December
2013 shooting of Ananias Shaw was wearing one. Footage from the body camera, released last week,
showed the victim holding a hatchet as he rushed toward the Selma police officer.
The officer was cleared relatively quickly following a State Bureau of Investigation and District
Attorney investigation and a grand jury decision. Without the body cameras that might not have been
the case.
Lt. John Brock, with the Selma Police Department, said their officers have had body cameras for about
two years and the devices have proven helpful not just in cases involving possible complaints against
officers, but in court, at crime scenes, and for witness testimony.
"The body cameras help us out a lot. If we could have one for every officer, that's what we want and
we're working on it with the city council and private organizations to get more," Brock said.
But it is officer-involved incidents that are probably fueling purchases of body cameras most, even
though each camera costs between $600 and $900.
"Since the incident in Ferguson made national news, the body cameras are very popular now in the
police world," Brock said.
But law enforcement was interested in equipping officers with the cameras long before national
attention recently focused on police-involved incidents.
Sheriff-elect Derrick Cunningham, who has already placed a major order for body cameras, said he
and the department were researching their use and talking to vendors long before Ferguson, Missouri,
police officer Darren Wilson was involved in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in
August of last year.
"We go through phases in law enforcement. We went through a phase of putting cameras in cars and
now we are putting video cameras on the actual person," Cunningham said. "These body cameras are
much needed. It takes the doubt and the guessing out of an investigation. Everything will be
documented. It will be a great tool for us in law enforcement and will assist us on the job every day."
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has placed an order for 86 L-3 Mobile-Vision HD body
cameras for patrol deputies and correction officers, along with upgrading 100 of the department's invehicle camera modems. The Montgomery County Commission approved an appropriation of $70,000
for the department in December of last year. The sheriff's office will contribute $60,000 toward the
project.
Martha Earnhardt, spokeswoman for the Montgomery Department of Public Safety, said the
Montgomery Police Department is still in the process of testing different camera equipment in the field
and is planning on supplying 300 patrol officers with body cameras once testing is complete.
For more than three years all Prattville police department patrol officers have been issued body
cameras, according to Prattville Police Chief Mark Thompson. But he says the department is hoping to
upgrade from the Scorpion cameras it uses now to smaller units that provide clearer images,
especially in low-light situations.
The body cameras that Cunningham is expecting to arrive within days will be able to record several
hours of footage in high definition and get good images at night and in low light.
Since the department already uses L3 Mobile Vision for their vehicle dash-cameras, the compatible
software will allow the body cameras to automatically download footage to the patrol car and then
directly to the sheriff's office.
"Once an officer gets out of the vehicle, it will automatically download to the main server and create a
file right then and there. It's wireless, so it takes away from having to remember to push a button,"
Cunningham explained.
The cameras will be the size of a flip-phone and be secured to the front of an officer's shirt with a
strap attachment. It will have a docking station inside the vehicle.
"This is just another tool that we are putting with the rest of our tools we use to fight crime and keep
our citizens safe," Cunningham said.
Having body cameras will save money and ensure the public's trust by providing critical evidence to a
case, Cunningham said.
"The new camera system is a win for the citizens of Montgomery County, knowing that law
enforcement will be able to record and prove without a shadow of a doubt what actually took place. If
we go on a call of a traffic accident or anything we want to document, we can have it right then and
see exactly what transpired," Cunningham added.
Brock said seeing what expired may not always vindicate officers, but will vindicate those who have
conducted themselves correctly.
"The cameras can be a good thing and a bad thing," he said. "If the officer doesn't do something right,
it can bite him, but it helps to prove when he's done something right. It works both ways."
Marty Roney contributed to this story
Law and (Body Camera) Order
•The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has placed an order for 86 body cameras
•The Montgomery Police Department plans on ordering 300 body cameras as soon as it finishes
testing different models.
•The Prattville Police Department currently has Scorpion body cameras but hopes to upgrade soon to
better body cameras that work better in low light.
•The Selma Police Department has 26 or 27 body cameras and hopes to order more.
___________
Firm auditing ASU to be paid another $500,000
The 25-month forensic investigation of Alabama State University's finances shows no signs of stopping
and the bill is set to balloon to well over $1 million.
The Alabama Legislature's contract review committee, which has oversight over most state contracts,
will review a proposal from acting AG Chris McCool next week to extend the forensic auditing contract
for Forensic Strategic Solutions (FSS) for $500,000 for 2015. That committee has no power to stop
the contract from being implemented but can hold it up for up to 30 days.
FSS was originally hired by Gov. Robert Bentley to investigate ASU's finances in December 2012,
shortly after former president Joseph Silver leveled allegations of improper contracts at the school.
Since that time, FSS, another auditing firm and two grand juries — one state and one federal — have
investigated financial wrongdoing at the university.
To date, no ASU employee or former employee has been indicted or been accused of illegal activity,
although a number of employees and trustees have been called to testify.
A "preliminary report" from the investigation released in Oct. 2013 by FSS leveled allegations of
conflicts of interest against trustees Elton Dean and Marvin Wiggins and raised questions about a
Medicaid contract at the school. Dean eventually resigned his position and Wiggins was removed by
Bentley, although each maintain they did nothing improper.
FSS, in the meantime, has raked in close to a $1 million in fees for its work already and stands to earn
another half-million if the committee approves McCool's recommendation.
"This is the biggest fishing expedition ever conducted against a state university," said Rep. John
Knight, who serves on the contract committee and retired last year from ASU. "What the governor has
done here is shameful. And he and (legal advisor) David Byrne — one of them or both — represented
to us the last time this contract came up that it would be the last extension for FSS."
Bentley's communication director, Jennifer Ardis, said the governor's office is not requesting a new
contract for FSS.
Bentley's office turned the investigation completely over to Attorney General Luther Strange's office
last June, and because of a prior contract with ASU, Strange recused himself from the case and
appointed Chris McCool, a district attorney from the Pickens County area, to handle the investigation.
McCool had been leading the state's ASU investigation, which included a state grand jury, since
January 2013, but the governor's office controlled the forensic investigation of the university.
McCool is currently out of the country on vacation with his family and unavailable for comment.
Bentley's office has accused ASU officials of purposefully stalling the investigation in its early stages by
hiring Birmingham attorney U.W. Clemon to review every request made by FSS for financial
documents and sit in on every interview of ASU employees. Without subpoena power, FSS auditors
were forced to abide by Clemon's mandates to receive information.
But since June, with the AG's office running the investigation, FSS has worked with subpoena power.
"Enough is enough," Knight said. "If someone has done something, OK, so be it. Handle that and let's
move on. Punish those who have done wrong. But you can't just continue to drag this out and cripple
the university."
The investigation has devastated ASU. In addition to the bad publicity, the school has endured three
credit downgrades — costing it millions of dollars in excess interest fees — and has been placed on
"warning status" by its accrediting agency.
University officials say it also impacted enrollment this fall, leaving ASU 800 students short of
projections and that this stripped another $8 million from its operating budget.
Knight, who led a lawsuit against the state that forced Alabama to pay millions to historically black
colleges that were improperly denied the money for decades, said he's heard from many who believe
the ongoing investigation is retribution for that Knight v. Alabama lawsuit.
"I didn't want to believe that, but it's tough to figure out another reason for this action," he said.
"Here we are coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery March and we're still
dealing with some of the same issues."
In total, once ASU's attorney fees and the cost of a second audit are added in, the investigation at
ASU has cost taxpayers nearly $2.5 million since December 2012.
__________
Alabama Senator Richard Shelby named chairman of the
Senate Banking Committee
Richard Shelby, Alabama's senior U.S. Senator, has been named chairman of the Senate Committee
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs for the 114th Congress, according to a news release today
from his office in Washington, D.C.
Shelby was elected by the Republican members of the committee on Wednesday, and his appointment
was confirmed today by the Senate Republican Conference, the release states.
"I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to implement policies that will
foster economic growth," Shelby said in the release.
Shelby previously served as the chairman of the Banking Committee from 2003 -2006.
The committee has jurisdiction over legislation concerning many key subjects, including banks and
other financial institutions; federal monetary policy, including the Federal Reserve System; money and
credit, including currency and coinage; export and foreign trade promotion; and the renegotiation of
government contracts.
Press coverage of Shelby's return to the Banking Committee chairmanship.
Shelby's return to the Banking Committee chairmanship has been expected for months and has
attracted much discussion in the media.
The New York Times said on Nov. 3 that "high on (Shelby's) agenda will be changes to the financial
overhaul law enacted in response to the 2008 crisis, known as Dodd-Frank. The 2010 law that brought
stricter regulation of banks and Wall Street has been a burr in the side of Republican lawmakers, and
the GOP-controlled House has passed numerous bills to unwind it."
American Banker reported on Nov. 4 that Shelby "is likely to renew his focus on problems with the
Dodd-Frank Act, including concerns over the structure and activities of the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau."
However, "The GOP Takeover May Be Mixed Blessing for Banks," according to The Wall Street Journal.
The article stated that "Shelby is no friend of Wall Street," despite his opposition to Dodd-Frank, and
that "his voting record is marked by evidence of a strong populist streak."
And The Hill.com reported in September that Shelby and ultra-liberal Massachusetts Democratic
Senator Elizabeth Warren "both expressed concern that actions tied to the financial collapse have
resulted in fines and settlements but not arrests, suggesting the Senate Banking Committee will be an
aggressive force no matter which party controls it after November."
Businessweek.com reported on Nov. 5 that the Republican victory in the midterms is bad news for
Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen. The site discusses Shelby's harsh criticisms of Yellen in the
past: "Shelby voted against (her) nomination as vice chair in 2010 and as chair last year."
__________
Rubio coming to Alabama in support of Republican push
for school choice
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is coming to Birmingham Wednesday, Jan. 14 in support of Alabama
Republicans’ efforts to implement more school choice reforms during the upcoming legislative session.
Rubio is scheduled to speak to the Birmingham Rotary Club and his remarks will focus on the school
choice successes in his home state of Florida, as well as the broader impact it has on public education
and the American economy.
Rubio sponsored The Educational Opportunities Act in the U.S. Senate which, similar to the Alabama
Accountability Act on the state level, would create a federal corporate and individual tax credit to
promote school choice by allowing contributions to go to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs)
that distribute scholarships to a student to be used toward private school tuition or expenses related
to attending a private school.
“Parents everywhere share a common dream: we all want our children to have the chance at a life
better than our own,” Rubio said. “This has propelled the progress of our nation and has become an
essential part of the American Dream. To give children this chance, every parent should be given the
right to choose the learning environment that best fits their child’s unique needs.”
The Accountability Act introduced school choice in Alabama for the first time, but Republicans are
expected to further expand the reforms during the coming legislative session.
“Under Republican leadership, we have made great strides towards school choice in Alabama and I’m
proud that such a well-known conservative like Senator Marco Rubio is taking time out of his busy
schedule to applaud and promote our efforts,” said Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard. “The
Accountability Act is only the first bold step towards school choice in Alabama and our efforts will
continue until every child in Alabama has access to a quality education.”
“I am glad to have support from national leaders like Senator Marco Rubio joining in the fight for
school choice in Alabama,” added Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh. “The Accountability Act was a
step in the right direction and I look forward to joining with my colleagues in the Senate and House as
we continue to push for the very best education for all children, regardless of zip code or family
income level.”
__________
US gains 252K jobs; unemployment falls to 5.6 pct.
The United States capped its best year for hiring in 15 years with a healthy gain in December, and the
unemployment rate hit a six-year low. The numbers support expectations that the United States will
strengthen further this year even as overseas economies stumble.
The government said Friday that employers added 252,000 jobs last month and 50,000 more in
October and November combined than it had previously estimated. The unemployment rate dropped
to 5.6 percent from 5.8 percent in November. The rate is now at its lowest point since 2008.
Still, wage growth remains weak. Average hourly pay slipped 5 cents in December. And the
unemployment rate fell partly because many of the jobless gave up looking for work and so were no
longer counted as unemployed.
Even so, nearly 3 million more people are earning paychecks than at the start of 2014 — the largest
annual job gain since 1999. Gas prices have also plunged, which will give consumers — the main
driver of the U.S. economy — a further boost in coming months.
“We are in a recovery that is accelerating,” said Michael Strain, an economist at the American
Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
The unemployment rate is now near the 5.2 percent to 5.5 percent range that the Federal Reserve
considers consistent with a healthy economy — one reason the Fed is expected to raise interest rates
from record lows by midyear.
Yet for now, the plummeting oil prices and weak pay growth are helping keep inflation even lower
than the Fed’s 2 percent target rate. Many economists think inflation may fail to reach even 1 percent
this year. A result is that the Fed could feel pressure to avoid raising rates anytime soon.
“There is still room for stimulus without having to worry about inflation taking off,” Strain said.
Most economists forecast that the U.S. economy will expand more than 3 percent this year. If it does,
2015 would mark the first time in a decade that growth has reached that level for a full calendar year.
American businesses have been largely shrugging off signs of economic weakness overseas and
continuing to hire at solid rates. The U.S. economy’s steady improvement is especially striking
compared with the weakness in much of the world.
Europe is barely growing, and its unemployment rate is nearly double the U.S. level. Japan, the
world’s third-largest economy, is in recession. Russia’s economy is cratering as oil prices plummet.
China is straining to manage a slowdown. Brazil and others in Latin America are struggling.
Fears about significantly cheaper oil spooked investors earlier this week before financial markets
recovered. But most economists remain optimistic that lower energy prices will benefit U.S. consumers
and many businesses.
The drop in average hourly pay last month to $24.57 followed a downward revision to November’s
average pay gain. Hourly pay over the past two months has now risen just a penny.
During 2014, average wages rose just 1.7 percent, not much above the inflation rate, which was 1.3
percent. As hiring ramps up and the unemployment rate falls, those pressures should, at least in
theory, compel employers to raise pay to attract workers. But that trend has yet to emerge.
The fall in average pay may actually reflect economic strength, said John Silvia, chief economist at
Wells Fargo. Silvia suggested that the healthy hiring of recent months means that “many of these new
hires are entry-level workers and would be paid less” than experienced employees.
Last month, the number of unemployed fell 383,000 to 8.7 million. Fewer than one-third of people out
of work found jobs. The rest stopped looking. The percentage of Americans who are either working or
looking for work fell back to a 37-year low last touched in September.
The brightening jobs picture has healed some of the deep scars left by the Great Recession. The
number of people who have been unemployed for more than six months fell 27 percent last year. And
the number working part time who would prefer full-time work dropped 12 percent.
Still, to keep up with population growth since the recession began, the economy would need to create
4.9 million additional jobs, according to the Brookings Institution.
Economists expect more healing this year. Goldman Sachs estimates that additional spending on
restaurants, auto dealers and other goods and services resulting from lower energy prices will lead to
300,000 more jobs this year than if oil prices had remained at their levels of six months ago.
Spending at retail stores and restaurants rose in November by the most in eight months, an early sign
that Americans are spending some of the savings they are enjoying on gas-pump prices.
___________
Obama Plan Would Help Many Go to Community College
Free
President Obama said Thursday that he would propose a government program to make community
college tuition-free for millions of students, an ambitious plan that would expand educational
opportunities across the United States.
The initiative, which the president plans to officially announce Friday at a Tennessee community
college, aims to transform publicly financed higher education in an effort to address growing income
inequality.
The plan would be funded by the federal government and participating states, but White House
officials declined to discuss how much it would cost or how it would be financed. It is bound to be
expensive and likely a tough sell to a Republican Congress not eager to spend money, especially on a
proposal from the White House.
“With no details or information on the cost, this seems more like a talking point than a plan,” said
Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio.
Obama, on 3-State Tour, Is Expected to Offer State of the Union ‘Spoilers’JAN. 7, 2015
President Obama spoke Thursday at the White House about efforts to enroll and graduate more lowincome minority students.Obama Lauds Pledges to Expand College OpportunitiesJAN. 16, 2014
College Costs Test Obama’s Education PoliciesOCT. 17, 2012
Mr. Obama’s advisers acknowledged Thursday that the program’s goals would not be achieved quickly.
The president, however, was more upbeat. “It’s something that we can accomplish, and it’s something
that will train our work force so that we can compete with anybody in the world,” Mr. Obama said in a
video posted Thursday night by the White House.
The proposal would cover half-time and full-time students who maintain a 2.5 grade point average —
about a C-plus — and who “make steady progress toward completing a program,” White House
officials said. It would apply to colleges that offered credit toward a four-year degree or occupationaltraining programs that award degrees in high-demand fields. The federal government would cover
three-quarters of the average cost of community college for those students, and states that choose to
participate would cover the remainder. If all states participate, the administration estimates, the
program could cover as many as nine million students, saving them each an average of $3,800 a year.
Mr. Obama will include the program, which would need congressional approval, in his budget for the
coming year, his advisers said, and detail it in his State of the Union address Jan. 20.
The plan is modeled after Tennessee’s free community college program, called the Tennessee Promise,
which will be available to students graduating high school this year. It has drawn 58,000 applicants,
almost 90 percent of the state’s high school seniors, and more than twice as many as expected.
The program has gone a long way toward making community college attainable for all students. In
addition, the proportion of applicants who are African-American and Hispanic is higher than their
proportion currently enrolled in Tennessee colleges. The program is backed by the state’s Republican
governor, Bill Haslam, and largely financed from lottery funds.
Still, Tennessee Promise has been criticized by some who say it is structured to benefit middle-income
students more than the neediest.
It is designed as a “last dollar” scholarship, paying only for tuition costs not covered by other
programs. A low-income student who is eligible for a maximum Pell Grant of $5,730 would not receive
assistance under the Tennessee program, because that amount would already cover tuition. A more
affluent student, however, could get full tuition paid by the program.
Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
Mr. Obama’s plan, by contrast, would cover tuition costs up front, White House officials said.
Representative Diane Black, Republican of Tennessee, said despite the success of her state’s program,
she was skeptical of the Obama initiative, calling it “a top-down federal program that will ask already
cash-strapped states to help pick up the tab.”
Chicago, too, has a new free community college initiative starting this year. The program initiated by
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, will give Chicago Public School students who graduate with at
least a 3.0 grade-point average waivers to cover tuition, books and fees at the city’s seven community
colleges.
White House officials acknowledged in a conference call with reporters that the program was unlikely
to win quick approval in Congress. Still, they said, in proposing it, Mr. Obama was seeking to press
states and community colleges to beef up their investments in high-quality education in ways that
would have a lasting effect even before federal legislation was enacted.
“We don’t expect the country to be transformed overnight, but we do expect this conversation to
begin tomorrow,” said Cecilia Muñoz, the president’s domestic policy chief.
About 7.7 million Americans attend community college for credit, of whom 3.1 million attend full time,
according to the American Association of Community Colleges, relying on 2012 data. Over all, the
federal government provides about $9.1 billion to community colleges, or about 16 percent of the total
revenue the colleges receive. Tuition from students provides $16.7 billion a year, or nearly 30 percent
of revenue.
Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, a former education secretary, will attend the announcement
at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday.
In an op-ed published on Thursday, he expressed concern about the federal role in such a program.
Tennessee has been hindered by federal bureaucracy, he wrote in The Knoxville News Sentinel. “Let
other states emulate Tennessee’s really good idea,” he wrote.