New York Lawmakers To Hold Hearing On Student Debt

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -€” Student debt and the rising cost of college will be examined at a public hearing by the New York State Assembly.

The hearing at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Albany will take testimony on the affordability of a college degree, the effectiveness of the state's Tuition Assistance Program, and the feasibility of debt-free college proposals and free community college.

The state comptroller's office says student loan debt has doubled in the last decade. Last year, New York residents had an average of $32,200 in student debt, higher than the national average.

State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher is among those scheduled to testify.

The hearing will be webcast on the Assembly's website (http://bit.ly/2fJjrZC ).

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]