HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4694

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 25, 2022.

The committee on Higher Education to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1325) of Sean Garballey, Paul W. Mark and others for legislation to provide adequate funding for the Commonwealth’s public institutions of higher education, so much of the recommendations of the Department of the State Treasurer (House, No. 25) as relates to student debt (House, No. 41), the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1320) of James Arciero, Marcos A. Devers and Patrick Joseph Kearney for legislation to establish a student loan forgiveness program within the Educational Financing Authority, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1322) of Patricia A. Duffy, Natalie M. Higgins and others for legislation to create work-study employment opportunities for eligible low-income students enrolled in a certificate or two-year associate degree program at community colleges, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1329) of Sean Garballey for legislation to direct the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority to establish a college savings program for each eligible child born and issued a birth certificate in the Commonwealth, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1330) of Sean Garballey for legislation to provide scholarships for the cost of tuition and fees for certain non-first year students at public colleges or universities, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1333) of Carmine Lawrence Gentile and Elizabeth A. Malia for legislation to make public higher education free for residents of the Commonwealth, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1339) of Natalie M. Higgins and others relative to free public higher education, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1357) of Jacob R. Oliveira and others for legislation to provide funding for the public higher education endowment incentive program, the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1364) of Chynah Tyler and others for legislation to authorize a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees for community college courses for certain low income and low- and moderate- income students, and the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1968) of Patricia A. Duffy and others for legislation to create a workforce opportunity scholarship for certain students at community colleges, reports recommending that the accompanying bill (House, No. 4694) ought to pass.

For the committee,

DAVID M. ROGERS.

        FILED ON: 4/4/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4694

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act to establish a Higher Education Review Commission.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

There shall be a special legislative Higher Education Review Commission, herein the commission, established pursuant to section 2A of chapter 4 of the General Laws to review the public system of higher education in the commonwealth and to make recommendations for potential legislative changes as the commission deems appropriate.

In conducting its review, the commission shall seek to determine the higher education programs and services necessary to achieve the commonwealth’s goal of expanding access to affordable higher education to help students achieve post-secondary success in the twenty-first century.

To assist the commission in carrying out its review, the secretary of education and the commissioner of higher education each shall provide to the commission any data and information the commission considers relevant to its charge.

The commission shall include the following members: the chairs of the joint committee on higher education, who shall serve as co-chairs; the secretary of education, or a designee; the commissioner of higher education, or a designee; the speaker of the house of representatives, or a house member designee; the president of the senate, or a senate member designee; the minority leader of the house of representatives, or a house member designee; the minority leader of the senate, or a senate member designee; a representative from the University of Massachusetts as recommended by the Office of the President; a representative of the state universities as recommended by the  Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents; a representative of the community colleges as recommended by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.

The commission may seek input from, to the extent the chairs deem fit, any students, faculty, and staff on our public institutions of higher education; any interest groups that has an interest in our public higher education system; or any other stakeholders the chairs deem fit.

In appointing members of the commission, consideration shall be given to race, gender, socioeconomic and geographic diversity that is reflective of landscape of public higher education in the commonwealth and those it serves.

The commission shall examine, report on and make recommendations on the full range of issues affecting public higher education quality and financing including, but not limited to: (i) leveraging current efficiencies and reforms, including performance incentive grants and the partnership for collaboration and efficiencies initiative; (ii) analyzing the percentage contribution of the commonwealth to the overall average cost of attendance at an institution of public higher education;  (iii) an analysis of current revenue streams and how resources are currently allocated to campuses; (iv) examining the key issues of student financial aid programs, including ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of such programs; (v) opportunities to enhance operational efficiencies on our public campuses; (vi) analysis of tuition and fees to ensure a transparent and consumer friendly definition; (vii) re-evaluating financing mechanisms that effect coherent fiscal planning, including, but not limited to, tuition retention and the fiscal structure of continuing education classes; (viii) integrating campus capital planning with operating expenditures, including an itemized review of expenditures of $50,000 or greater; (ix) evaluating the adjunct faculty to full-time faculty ratio, with a review of the use of adjunct or part-time faculty, adjunct faculty under the current system, the number and use of full-time and tenure-track faculty across the system and the ability of the current system to attract and retain highly qualified faculty and staff; (x) the economic impact COVID-19 has had on public institutions of higher education; and (xi) any other relevant topic the chairs deem necessary.

The commission shall hold no fewer than 4 public meetings to seek feedback from the public institutions of higher education, families, employees, students, host communities, and other relevant stakeholders from across the commonwealth.

The commission shall, on or before July 1, 2023, report to the general court the results of its investigation and study and its recommendations, if any, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means, and the joint committee on higher education.