House Dems introduce a bill to give in-state college students free tuition by taxing the rich

House Democrats introduced a bill that is supposed to provide “free” education for Ohio students at public colleges and universities, and they are turning to a standard party talking point: Tax the rich.

House Bill 854, which was introduced by state Reps. Munira Abdullahi, D-Columbus, and Tristan Rader, D-Lakewood, would levy an income tax on Ohioans who earn $500,000 or more per year to fully cover the cost of college education for the entire four years while an in-state student is earning their degree.

“This economy has made higher education increasingly important for career success and financial stability,” Abdullahi said in a release. “It is our moral obligation to provide students the opportunity to further their academic ambitions. Access to higher education should not be limited by a student’s economic status.”

The measure would provide funding to all 14 public universities, a proposal that could cost billions. The Ohio Chancellor of Higher Education would administer the process and oversee the Ohio Free College Fund, which would be funded by an annual tax on wealthier Ohioans.

NBC 4 reported that 2.38% of Ohio households, or approximately 116,277 households, earn $500,000 or more each year.

Increasing income taxes in Ohio runs counter to the state’s recent trajectory. Republicans in the state have spent the last decade reducing the state’s income tax.

NBC 4 added that all 14 public institutions in the state offer tuition discounts to in-state students and that there were 226,013 in-state students at Ohio’s public colleges and universities in 2024, the most recent data available.

“In one of the richest countries in the world, no one should experience such daunting financial barriers to receive a public higher education,” Rader said in a release. “We have the resources to do it, we just need to direct them to support our students’ futures, not padding the pockets of millionaires.”

According to the NBC 4 report, both lawmakers cited New York, New Mexico and Florida as states that offer free tuition to in-state students. New Mexico allegedly is the most generous with taxpayers’ money, fully covering the tuition and fees at any state’s public college and university for all residents who have lived inside the state for at least one year.

Another state that passed a law that fully covered the cost of education for in-state students was Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Teachers Association. A “Fair Share Amendment,” which taxes local millionaires, provides tuition-free community college education to all in-state students.

HB 854 was referred to the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee. However, the Democrat-backed bill faces long odds in a Republican-controlled legislature.

Meanwhile, another bill, the bipartisan Senate Bill 443, introduced by state Sens. Louis “Bill” Blessing, R-Colerain Township, and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, would require private schools to disclose more data about how they spend taxpayer money and the income breakdowns of private school families receiving vouchers, according to Cleveland.com.

“If you are going to take state dollars there has to be a degree of transparency and oversight for something like that,” Blessing said on Wednesday, according to the news source.