TOPEKA — Kansas Democrats followed in President Joe Biden’s footsteps by unveiling plans for post-secondary school affordability on Thursday.

House Democrats have proposed a three-pronged package to reduce the cost of secondary education development opportunities. This package benefits all levels of stakeholders including students, parents, employers and Kansas.

The package presented to lawmakers for consideration in January offers:

• $150 tax refund for school supplies, books, and fees for parents with school-aged children.
• Kansas Learning Quest 529 Extends the due date for contributions to the Education Savings Account to April 15 of the following year.
• Also, tax credits for businesses in Kansas allow you to make certain student loan payments on behalf of your employees.

The announcement comes after President Biden announced a student loan forgiveness plan on Wednesday that will write off $10,000 of debt for students under $125,000 a year.

The president’s decision could have a significant impact on the midterm elections, potentially boosting turnout among younger voters who still have student loan debt.

But Republican lawmakers have criticized Mr. Biden’s move.

In an interview with the Kansas State Capitol on Wednesday, Republican Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said the student loan forgiveness plan is likely to be challenged in court.

“I don’t think Congress gave President Biden the power to do this…to allow the loan,” Marshall said. “I think it’s very insulting to many hardworking Americans.”

Marshall said he believes the plan is “unfair” for those who chose not to take out loans or debts and had to work multiple jobs at once to pay for school.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt, who faces off against Democratic Kansas governor Laura Kelly in November, was also in attendance.Schmidt released the following message online following Biden’s announcement.

“Joe Biden and Laura Kelly’s party made a plan today to get you, the hardworking taxpayer, to pay off $300 billion in other people’s student loans. Buying votes like this is very Shameless and so unfair to families and students who paid their own way, such as joining the military to pay for college. We want your new IRS agent to audit you and they don’t get it.Families in Kansas are having a hard time and the government continues to spend more and more money.