John Hanger unveiled his plan to end upfront tuition costs to state and community colleges. The Democratic candidate for Governor supports a system that would allow students in state and community colleges to pay back the cost of their education as a small percentage of future income.

“My Keystone College Fund makes higher education affordable for all Pennsylvanians and can be implemented immediately,” Hanger said Monday.

The plan is adapted from a “Pay it Forward” model originally proposed by the Economic Opportunity Institute and enacted in Oregon. Enrolled students’ upfront costs would be paid by a state fund, and then upon entering the workforce those students would pay back a certain percentage of their income for a set number of years.

Hanger’s plan would finance the cost of startup with a 10 year $3.4 billion bond taken out by the state and expects it to be self-sustaining in 22.5 years.

For 15 years after graduating, students would pay back the fund at a rate of 1.2% of their income if they are community college grads, 1.4% if they are state system grads, and 2.2% if they attended state-related schools.

“This plan would remove that barrier and assure that graduates would not be burdened with huge college loan debts. Since graduates would pay a percentage of income once they enter the workforce, if they lost a job or experienced a reduction in wages, they would pay little during hard times,” Hanger said.

State Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montco) and state Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Phila) each introduced plans to enact or explore a “Pay it Forward” model in Pa. Leach’s plan would fund the program via a temporary severance tax on natural gas – an option, among others, that Hanger endorsed.

The former state DEP Secretary, Hanger, has made education the major theme of his campaign. He began a school bus tour – his 3rd of the campaign so far – Monday. He’ll make 19 stops across northeastern and northcentral Pa., from Schuylkill County to Wayne, Potter to Elk and finally to Centre.

“Governor Corbett should implement the Keystone College Fund immediately. I also urge President Obama to embrace a similar program at the national level,” Hanger said.

While lacking the financial resources of his top-tier rivals in the race to the nomination, Hanger has been the most outspoken and detailed about his policy positions.

Hanger is thus far competing against declared candidates Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, former State Revenue Secretary Tom Wolf and former State DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty. State Treasurer Rob McCord is likely to join the race.