Laurel Highlands Today

Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa from Fayette has announced her plan to introduce a legislative package aimed at preserving higher education opportunities for students in Pennsylvania.

“Recently, Penn State University’s president announced her intention to close several Commonwealth campuses,” said Grimm Krupa. She expressed concern over the potential closure, emphasizing, “Penn State and other state-related institutions receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the Commonwealth. As a publicly funded, land-grant university, Penn State has an obligation to serve all Pennsylvanians – not just those in urban or wealthy areas.”

The legislative package includes three bills. The first, the State-Related University Accountability Act, seeks to prevent publicly funded state-related universities from closing branch campuses without legislative oversight and public input. The second bill, the Taxpayer-Funded Education Access Protection Act, aims to safeguard regional access to higher education while ensuring responsible use of taxpayer dollars. The third bill, the Economic and Workforce Impact Review Act, mandates that state-related universities assess the economic and workforce consequences before closing any branch campuses.

“The proposed closure of branch campuses, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged regions, is a direct betrayal of Penn State’s mission and an unacceptable misuse of public funds,” remarked Grimm Krupa. She emphasized, “These universities have an obligation to weigh the full consequences of their decisions. This is about fairness, fiscal responsibility and protecting the future of our communities.”

Representative Charity Grimm Krupa represents the 51st District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She can be contacted at 724-438-6100.