Bill > S1454

Introduced Session

Under current policy, students applying for a State grant or scholarship under the purview of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), who are requested by HESAA to submit documentation to verify income and assets, are only permitted to submit documentable proof produced by a State or federal government agency, for the purposes of the verification. Documentable proof produced by a State or federal agency may include, but is not limited to, income tax return transcripts, actual copies of income tax returns, Internal Revenue Service Wage and Income transcripts, and proof of receipt of State or federal public benefits such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, Social Security benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or unemployment benefits. When the income and assets of a student or a student's parents or guardians cannot be verified through such documentable proof, the student is not considered for State grants or scholarships. This bill would require HESAA to permit the submission of monthly expense and resource statements for those applicant students who cannot verify income and assets through documentable proof produced by a State or federal agency. The bill also requires HESAA to impute in-kind support amounts, which are to assume a minimal standard of living, on a student's monthly expense and resource statement, if the student records zero income and assets. In-kind support includes amounts paid for certain expenses on behalf of a student, or the student and the student's parents or guardians in the case of a dependent student, that are not considered loans.

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Joe Cryan (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document