Public higher-ed students, staff and faculty are shedding light on the growing problem of campus debt held by state colleges and universities, and its effect on student fees.

While the state used to pay for building costs on public college and university campuses, individual campuses more recently have had to take out loans to finance building projects. Revenue from auxiliary services such as student room and board often go toward debt payments.

Joanna Gonsalves, psychology professor at Salem State University and member of the Massachusetts State College Association Salem Chapter, said fees have been going up to make up the difference.

"These debt payments annually range anywhere from a few million to UMass Amherst, which pays $95 million a year in debt service, and it's unfair," Gonsalves argued. "We feel like it's a generation of students that are being taxed for the buildings rather than the taxpayers."

Gonsalves noted when students were not living in the dorms during the pandemic, the loss of revenue brought the issue of campus debt to the forefront. She added the UMass system owes $3 billion, and other state universities owe $1.2 billion. Groups are calling for more state investments, as well as increased taxes for the Commonwealth's wealthiest residents.

Tyler Risteen, a junior sociology major at Framingham State University, said rates of enrollment at her university have been on the decline.

"Me, personally, and I know a lot of my friends who I go to school with, they chose these state schools because it's supposed to be cheaper," Risteen explained. "The government is supposed to be helping us, but in reality, it's just the schools taking out loans and then us paying for those loans."

Gayathri Raja, a sophomore economics major at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, said there is a sentiment colleges are raising tuition and fees out of greed, but she thinks there is a larger structural problem.

"They're allowed to sit on a good amount of assets, despite having so much debt," Raja pointed out. "And that's not even a college's fault. That's just how the financial system is constructed, and it's kind of more so up to the state to step in and help with the unbelievable amount of debt that state colleges are in."

She said voters in November get to approve or disapprove what's known as the Fair Share Amendment, which would increase the tax rate by four percentage pointed for those making more than a million dollars a year, and put those funds toward education. Opponents worry such a tax would cause high earners to leave the state.

Raja added a bill before the General Court, the Cherish Act, would also allocate more state funding to public higher ed.

Even in a stable economy, consumers in Wisconsin and elsewhere still express pessimism and advocates said a key federal agency working on issues like unfair business practices cannot risk losing resources needed to help consumers.

To avoid a government shutdown, Congress has to approve a new federal budget by month's end. Over the summer, House Republicans floated cuts in certain areas, including a 27% funding cut for the Federal Trade Commission.

Erin Witte, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America, said the timing could not be worse for such a move.

"We've seen people talk a lot about feeling like their costs are increased in lots of ways," Witte pointed out. "The FTC's work is really aimed at trying to lower a lot of those costs, to bring some fairness back to the process."

Last month, the agency co-hosted the first meeting of a task force about whether companies are price-gouging and the effect on consumers. GOP leaders on the Appropriations Committee said they want a financial services bill prioritizing combating terrorism-money activity, maintaining the integrity of financial markets and spurring small business growth.

Witte contends the FTC has made progress in standing up for consumers with great efficiency. She pointed to the proposed "click to cancel" rule, which would remove barriers for people worried about recurring charges for an unwanted subscription for a service or product.

"That would make it as easy for someone to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up for it," Witte explained. "That proposal has gotten thousands of comments from consumers about how much time they are wasting on things like unnecessary subscriptions."

The state-level organization Opportunity Wisconsin has also cited concerns about consumer protections being gutted. It called on Congress to pass clean funding bills without extreme provisions it said would "hurt Wisconsin families." It is unclear if any of the budget ideas floated over the past several months will find their way into a final spending plan.

Congress is back from recess and lawmakers are hearing from producers about getting a new Farm Bill passed with the latest deadline looming.

North Dakota farmers were among those who traveled to Washington, D.C., to demand progress. More than two dozen North Dakota Farmers Union members were part of a large contingent getting face-to-face time with federal lawmakers this week.

The Farm Bill, last updated in 2018, needs to be reauthorized by the end of the month or elements of the current version will expire.

Bob Kuylen, a farmer from the western half of the state, said the uncertainty comes as small-to-mid-sized producers face the prospect of dwindling profits.

"Inputs are awful high and we're down there in prices quite a ways," Kuylen pointed out.

A glut of crops and other products on the market are resulting in smaller financial returns for the farmers who grow them. The Union said a stronger safety net in a new Farm Bill could make losses easier to absorb. However, with the fall election approaching and a federal budget also needing a vote, complications are mounting in getting the agricultural policy reauthorized.

The Farm Bill also funds key initiatives to address hunger relief like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Kuylen noted it shows the sweeping policy touches a lot of facets within the food production system, affecting many Americans.

"Eighty-two percent of the Farm Bill is nutrition," Kuylen explained. "Farmers get a very small part of the Farm Bill. You know, it covers things like conservation programs."

The statistic he cited is reported by the Congressional Research Service. Union voices said the urgency comes as farmers also deal with rising machinery costs and corporate consolidation within agriculture. Last fall, Congress approved a one-year extension of the Farm Bill, prompting fears lawmakers would again let negotiations drag on until the last minute.

West Virginia lawmakers will convene for a Special Session on Sept. 30, with the state's child care crisis, proposed income tax cuts and supplemental appropriations on the agenda.

The Mountain State's spending on child care is much lower than neighboring states and has steadily declined over the past decade, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. It is estimated the parents of around 26,000 children currently lack affordable child care options.

Gov. Jim Justice is reiterating his push for child care tax credits.

"Absolutely try to get our tax break across the finish line with child care," Justice urged. "There's supplemental appropriations that need to be done, and we need to get the money out the door."

Previous bills proposing a child care tax credit for households with incomes less than $65,000 a year have stalled in the Legislature. The Biden administration has said the state needs to contribute between $20 million and $30 million to keep a federal subsidy program afloat for the next year, to direct money to child care centers, making costs more affordable for families.

The governor is also proposing another 5% income tax cut.

"We need another tax break," Justice contended. "I'm very, very hopeful and optimistic that we're going to be able to get it through."

According to state data, tax revenue collections for August were lower than expected at around $403 million and down from last August, when $410 million in tax revenue was collected.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.