Chapter 3 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 71, the following sections:-

Section 72. (a) The general court shall establish, with the approval of the presiding officers of the 2 branches of the general court, a program under which the senate, house of representatives, or general court may agree to repay, by direct payment on behalf of an employee, student loans previously taken out by an employee. For purposes of this section, a Member of the general court shall not be considered to be an employee of the Senate or House of Representatives.

(b) The general court or an administrative authority thereof shall promulgate such guidelines as may be necessary to carry out the program under this section, and may include limitations on the type of student loans covered and on the maximum payment that may be available to any one individual.

(c) The administration of the program authorized in this section shall be funded by appropriations directed to the general court, or a branch thereof, subject to appropriation.

Section 73. (a) The general court shall establish, with the approval of the presiding officers of the 2 branches of the general court, biannual review of employee compensation. Such base compensation shall be re-evaluated to ensure employee pay keeps pace with the median household income for the commonwealth for the preceding two-year period.