Amendment ID: S2297-1-R1

Redraft Amendment 1

Finish Line

Mr. Tarr moves to amend the bill by adding the following section:-

"SECTION 2. The commissioner of higher education shall investigate the feasibility of developing a finish line scholarship program to provide scholarships to cover the entire cost of tuition and fees for 1 year other than the first year, in a program leading to an associate’s or bachelor’s degree at a Massachusetts public college or university to full-time residents in need of financial assistance whose family income is less than the 125 per cent of the median family income.

The department shall provide recommendations to the general court on: (i) potential cost of the program; (ii) potential sources of funding for the  program; (iii) eligibility requirements; (iv) selection criteria including, but not limited to, acceptable grades and an academic plan for timely degree completion; (v) metrics for measuring the success of the program; and (vi) any other guidelines that may increase overall student success and graduation rates and that may lower achievement gaps for high-risk students.

The department shall file its report and its recommendations with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on higher education and the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than January 1, 2019.”