Bill > H640

This bill aims to strengthen and expand affordable, quality higher education opportunities for residents of the Commonwealth. The key provisions include: - Providing additional funding to the University of Massachusetts, state universities, and community colleges to fully fund their operating and capital needs, with the requirement to freeze tuition and fees if the additional funding is provided. - Establishing a transfer system to enable seamless credit transfer between public institutions of higher education in the state. - Requiring public institutions to provide uniform student financial aid information and promote financial literacy. - Restricting state scholarship funds from being used at institutions with high student loan borrowing rates, low graduation rates, or high default rates. - Creating a "TAFDC Career Pathways Trust Fund" to provide employment opportunities for TAFDC recipients enrolled in community college certificate or degree programs. - Establishing a pilot program to provide student loan repayment assistance for licensed certified social workers. - Authorizing $4.2 billion in bonds for capital improvements at public higher education institutions. The bill also includes provisions related to personal financial literacy education in schools and a study on the "Pay It Forward, Pay It Back" concept for financing postsecondary education.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H640