A proposal introduced in the state Legislature last week aims to keep college students in Wisconsin after graduation and attract recent graduates to the state through a tax break on student loans.

Rep. Kim Hixon, D-Whitewater, is gaining support on both sides of the aisle for his bill that would create a tax credit for payments on loans used for educational expenses including tuition, fees, books, and room and board.

�We are falling behind surrounding states, Minnesota in particular, in the percentage of adults who have college degrees,� Hixon said. �Obviously, the higher that percentage is, generally speaking, the better the state economy is.�

Hixon added this issue hits close to home, as he is still paying back student loans for his master�s degree and Ph.D.

�I know what a burden that can be on people just starting out and starting a family,� he said.

Nate Williams, spokesperson for Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, said the bill could tip the scale in Wisconsin�s favor in terms of keeping graduates in the state.

�We�re trying to find ways to keep more college graduates here so we can tap into their entrepreneurial energy and spirit,� Williams said.

University of Wisconsin System spokesperson David Giroux said the bill sounds like a good idea, but the state should look to create greater incentives for people with degrees to come to Wisconsin.

�People don�t move across state lines for a tax credit; they move across state lines for job opportunities and cultural enrichment,� Giroux said. �The tax issue is just part of what makes our state attractive or not.�

Giroux added, however, he thinks the legislation would be useful in attracting students to attend the UW System in the first place.

�The issue of affordability is equally important. We know more and more students are graduating with bigger student loan debt, and that�s just a fact of life,� Giroux said. �[The proposal] really helps take down the true long-term cost of attending college.�

The bill has yet to be taken up by a committee, and Williams said the proposal�s late introduction, Republican control of the Assembly and the relatively light schedule for the rest of the session could mean the bill�s future is cloudy.

�It�s going to be a challenge to get it through the Assembly,� Williams said. �We�re hoping that if we can�t get it done this session that we can bring it back a year from now and try and get it done then.�

Eighty percent of Wisconsin residents who attend schools in the UW System currently stay in Wisconsin after graduation, according to Giroux and Williams.