US Representative Pramila Jayapal and Senator Bernie Sanders led lawmakers in introducing a bicameral legislation,‘The College for All Act’ to eliminate tuition and fees for most families at four-year colleges while making community college free. The proposed act aims to address the root cause of the student debt crisis at a time when more than 45 million borrowers hold US$1.75 trillion in total federal student loan debt.

The bicameral act has a strong foundation as it underlines that the last three decades witnessed a surge of 258 per cent in the cost of tuition at public four-year colleges and 196 per cent at private institutions across the nation.  This exponential growth in cost has meant that more than half of students graduate with debt, an average of US$28,950 owed per borrower, a note on legislation explained.