Lawmakers discussing student debt at UW-L today

Meeting at 3 p.m.
at Centennial Hall

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s ideas for reducing the debt burden on Wisconsin college students are “not serious” according to Onalaska’s Steve Doyle.

The 94th District Assemblyman says the governor’s suggestions of giving tax breaks to students instead of letting them refinance college loans won’t provide much relief.

“What the governor is proposing helps just a small number of people and they’re hundreds of thousands, if not millions,” Doyle said, “of people in the state of Wisconsin that are paying off student loans, and there are about 30,000 out of that group that are going to benefit from the proposals he’s made.”

That will just be part of the discussion on student debt at 3 p.m. today by lawmakers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Centennial Hall.

They’ll be discussing ideas promoted by both Walker and his democratic opponents on how to make college more affordable.

Doyle hopes to hear from a couple of groups at today’s meeting.

“One, students who are currently in school and acquiring those debts,” Doyle said. “And two, people who graduated already and trying to figure out how they ever are going to get ahead in life if they have this huge burden that’s facing them.”