SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1277        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 830

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Edward J. Kennedy

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act protecting students and increasing accountability at Massachusetts colleges and universities.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Edward J. Kennedy

First Middlesex


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1277        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 830

By Mr. Kennedy, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 830) of Edward J. Kennedy for legislation to reform institutional eligibility requirements for state-based financial aid.  Higher Education.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 840 OF 2021-2022.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

An Act protecting students and increasing accountability at Massachusetts colleges and universities.

 

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

Section 16 of Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following paragraph:-

No state scholarship funds under this section, any other section of this chapter, or other state student financial aid however provided, shall be made available to, or on behalf, of any student enrolled in any postsecondary educational institution which the board of Higher Education determines does not meet the requirements of this paragraph. To meet the requirements of this paragraph, a postsecondary educational institution shall demonstrate to the board that it has: (i) graduation rates of not less than 30 per cent for undergraduate students taking 150 per cent or less of the expected time to complete degree requirements, as most recently reported by the U.S. Department of Higher Education, provided, that graduation rates shall include students who transfer; or (ii) an average 3 year cohort default rate that is not more than 20 per cent, as most recently reported by the U.S. Department of Education. The board of Higher Education shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement this paragraph including, but not limited to, procedures and processes for annually determining which postsecondary educational institutions meet the requirements of this paragraph, and a process for an institution to appeal a determination that they do not meet the necessary requirements. The board of higher education shall annually post a list of institutions that meet the requirements of this paragraph on the Department of Higher Education’s website.