Bill > H1443

This bill establishes a pilot reimbursement program for public higher education institutions in Massachusetts that provides tuition and fee waivers for seniors aged 60 and older. The program will run from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, allowing qualifying seniors to enroll in undergraduate programs, summer sessions, evening classes, and specific courses, with a limit of four courses per academic year and subject to space availability. By August 1, 2026, all state universities, community colleges, and University of Massachusetts campuses must submit a detailed report to the state Comptroller, House and Senate Ways and Means Committees, and the Joint Committee on Higher Education, documenting the tuition and fee revenues lost due to these waivers. The Comptroller will then be authorized to transfer an equivalent amount of money from the General Fund to each institution to compensate for the lost revenues. The total reimbursed revenues will serve as the baseline funding for senior citizen tuition and fee waivers in the state's General Appropriations Act starting in Fiscal Year 2027, effectively creating a sustainable mechanism for supporting senior education.

Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1443