Lawmakers question NY governor's higher ed spending plan

Some New York lawmakers have called on the governor to do more to help low-income college students instead of following through with his proposal that would benefit mostly upper-class students.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed letting slightly wealthier students qualify for the tuition-free Excelsior Scholarship program at colleges. Cuomo's plan would let a family making up to $135,000 per year qualify for the program, up from the current $125,000 cutoff.

Assemblymembers Deborah Glick and Harvey Epstein, both Democrats, said at a budget hearing Tuesday that the proposal doesn't do enough to help financially struggling students at a time when the governor also proposes continuing $200-a-year public tuition hikes.