Higher Learning Advocates’ Statement on the Providing Assistance for Transit Help (PATH) to College Act

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Lamb (D-PA), Representative Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Representative Wilson (FL-24), Representative Katko (NY-24), and Senator Casey (D-PA) introduced the ‘Providing Assistance for Transit Help (PATH) to College Act’’, which would take important steps toward ensuring today’s students have adequate access to public transportation to and from campus. Executive Director Julie Peller made the following statement regarding the legislation:

“Higher Learning Advocates is excited to see today’s students prioritized in the recently introduced PATH Act. We applaud Representative Lamb, Representative Fitzpatrick, Representative Wilson, Representative Katko, and Senator Casey for their dedication to ensure today’s students have access to reliable and affordable public transportation. This is an important step forward in ensuring that higher learning is accessible to and affordable for all of today’s students, especially low-income students and students of color who have long been underserved by our higher education system.

The PATH Act would provide grants for public transit projects partnering with community colleges, historically Black colleges or universities, Tribal colleges, or other minority serving institutions. Higher Learning Advocates is specifically pleased to see that Pell Grant recipients are specifically targeted in this support, with grant priority going to institutions with 25 percent of higher Pell Grant recipient enrollment. 

We urge Members of Congress to support this legislation so that today’s students can succeed.”