College students in Pennsylvania relying on state financial aid to pay for school might soon have five years of financial aid available to complete their degrees.

State Rep. Lynn Herman is pushing legislation through the state House of Representatives in Harrisburg to allow all students who qualify for financial aid to be eligible for an additional year of financial assistance through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

At the moment, only students enrolled in programs that require a fifth year, such as engineering, are eligible to have their grants extended for five years, Herman said.

Herman said the extension for grants is necessary because many students have difficulty graduating from college in four years.

"The percentage of students graduating in four years has been dropping for various reasons," Herman said.

These include students changing majors, transferring from other schools, employment and family responsibilities.

"It's so the senior student can get the money they need to graduate," Herman said.

The bill has been returned from the House subcommittee on higher education with the recommendation of being presented to leaders on the house floor. If it passes the house, the bill will go to the state Senate to be voted upon.

Last year, a similar bill was proposed and passed the house, but did not successfully pass in the senate.

Penn State's student governments have made this issue one of the top goals in their lobbying platforms.

As chair of USG Senate's Political Action and Lobbying Committee, Town Sen. Rick Smith drafted senate's lobbying platform and arranged a trip to Harrisburg on Wednesday.

Smith said he hopes the bill will be passed this year.

He is planning to meet with Herman in the near future.

Council of Commonwealth Student Governments President Kristopher Ankarlo was not surprised to hear the news because the bill made it through the committee last year.

Ankarlo said it will be important when CCSG and USG return to Harrisburg in the spring to mobilize the state senate.

The bill has died in the state senate in the past.

Undergraduate Student Government President Justin Zartman said the grants are important because many students go on co-ops or internships and cannot graduate in four years.

"We should be able to be here five years and not get penalized by the government," Zartman said.

East Halls Sen. Julia Graham, who went on the trip, said USG senators discussed the PHEAA grants as well as reinstating the Tuition Challenge Grant.

Graham said there was a mixed reaction among state senators about the grant, a program that was discontinued about five years ago that tied in state appropriations with Penn State's tuition increase.

There was a general consensus favoring the grants, however education funding may be given a low priority.

"Everyone seemed to agree due to the events of Sept. 11 that higher education won't have as much emphasis put on it," Graham said.