In the midst of a busy day visiting four more Pennsylvania counties, Auditor General Jack Wagner, Democratic candidate for Governor, spoke at the Clarion Young Democrats’ second annual Workers Memorial Day/Lemonade on the Lawn event.

Wagner’s conversation focused on his HOPE Scholarship Program to help families afford the cost of higher education.

Higher education must remain at the forefront of issues due to its profound importance to students, families, and the state economy, Wagner said following the event.

“HOPE” is an acronym for Helping Our Pupils to Excel. Under Wagner’s program, students who graduate from high school with at least a 3.0 grade point average would have their tuition paid for at a state-owned university. Students choosing to attend a state-related institution, a private institution, a community college, or a vocational-technical school would receive a scholarship valued at the average cost of a state-owned university. The program would be funded by excess profits from table games at Pennsylvania casinos.

Wagner has long championed HOPE scholarships. As a state senator, he introduced legislation to establish such a program four different times.

As Pennsylvania’s Auditor General, Wagner has fought hard in Harrisburg to make higher education more affordable. His first-ever special performance audit of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency highlighted wasteful spending in the state’s top agency for providing financial assistance to needy Pennsylvania students and resulted in much-needed reforms. He also called for a sweeping overhaul of the PHEAA board by replacing half of the legislators on the board with financial and academic experts and a full-time post-secondary student.

Earlier in the day, Wagner met with Clearfield County citizens at a breakfast held at the American Legion in DuBois.

Later today, Wagner will be participating in a rally with Venango County Democrats in Franklin and speaking at a dinner with Jefferson County Democrats in Sykesville.

The day will culminate with a candidates’ forum on economic development at Penn State University’s DuBois campus. The forum is sponsored by the Greater DuBois Chamber of Commerce.