Community colleges are saying that unpredictability of state and local support in recent years has placed too much of the financial burden onto students.

The bill was introduced by State Sen. Bob Mensch, R-Bucks/Lehigh, and was unanimously approved last month by the Senate Education Committee.

"Community colleges are a vital component of the commonwealth's workforce development continuum," Mensch said. "They are a unique link between a student and the workplace in how responsive and flexible they can be in addressing the educational needs of a local community. We need to ensure their vitality within communities and their ability to grow local workforces."