HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 474        FILED ON: 1/9/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Antonio F. D. Cabral

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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 to reduce graduate student loan debt.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 474        FILED ON: 1/9/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2722 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act to reduce graduate student loan debt.

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

SECTION 1.Paragraph (12) of subsection (a) of Part B of section 3 of chapter 62 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by:

(a)striking out, in line 92, the word “or” the first place it appears. 

(b)inserting after the word “two-year”, in line 92, a comma; and 

(c)inserting after the word “college”, in line 92, the following words: - “, or graduate education debt”.

SECTION 2.Paragraph (12) of said subsection (a) of said Part B of said section 3 of said chapter 62, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the second sentence the following sentence: -

“For the purposes of this subparagraph, the term ‘graduate education debt’ shall mean any loan which was or is administered by the financial aid office of a non-profit institution offering a graduate or professional degree program at which the taxpayer, or a dependent of such taxpayer, pursuant to subparagraph (3) of paragraph (b) of part B of this section, was enrolled as a graduate or professional degree student and which loan has been secured through a state student loan program, a federal student loan program or a commercial lender and which loan was obtained and expended solely for the purposes of paying tuition and other expenses directly related to such graduate or professional student enrollment.”.