| 1 | 1 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2675 |
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| 2 | 2 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 3 | 3 | | _______________ |
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| 4 | 4 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 5 | 5 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 6 | 6 | | _______________ |
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| 7 | 7 | | SENATE, April 1, 2024. |
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| 8 | 8 | | The committee on Higher Education, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied |
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| 9 | 9 | | by bill, Senate, No. 822) of Lydia Edwards, Sal N. DiDomenico and Russell E. Holmes for |
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| 10 | 10 | | legislation to instruct the board of higher education to engage house of corrections and state |
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| 11 | 11 | | prisons, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2675). |
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| 12 | 12 | | For the committee, |
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| 13 | 13 | | Joanne M. Comerford 1 of 3 |
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| 14 | 14 | | FILED ON: 2/7/2024 |
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| 15 | 15 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2675 |
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| 16 | 16 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 17 | 17 | | _______________ |
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| 18 | 18 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 20 | 20 | | _______________ |
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| 21 | 21 | | An Act instructing the Department of Higher Education to engage houses of correction & state |
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| 22 | 22 | | prisons. |
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| 23 | 23 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 24 | 24 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after |
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| 26 | 26 | | 2section 15G the following subsection:- |
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| 27 | 27 | | 3 Section 15H. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following |
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| 28 | 28 | | 4meanings: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 5 “Credit status”, currently incarcerated persons as well as most recently released persons |
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| 30 | 30 | | 6who, during the term of incarceration, completed and received certification of requirements for |
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| 31 | 31 | | 7an award of a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) with Credit and have been determined to be |
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| 32 | 32 | | 8eligible for acceptance into freshman level, for-credit study at a public institution of higher |
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| 33 | 33 | | 9education in Massachusetts. |
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| 34 | 34 | | 10 “Incarcerated person”, a committed offender or such other person as is placed in custody |
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| 35 | 35 | | 11in a correctional facility in accordance with law. 2 of 3 |
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| 36 | 36 | | 12 “Recently released”, release of a previously incarcerated person from a county jail, house |
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| 37 | 37 | | 13of correction, or state prison to a non-custodial status that has occurred before the most recent |
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| 38 | 38 | | 14specific outreach of admissions or financial aid staff under subsection (b). |
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| 39 | 39 | | 15 (b) The department of higher education shall oversee and supervise regular outreach to |
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| 40 | 40 | | 16each county Jail, House of Correction, and State Prison by admissions or financial aid staff of |
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| 41 | 41 | | 17public institutions of higher education. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 18 The outreach shall ensure timely identification, at least twice per calendar year, by |
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| 43 | 43 | | 19region, of individuals who have obtained Credit Status. County Sheriffs and the Commissioner |
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| 44 | 44 | | 20of Correction shall ensure reciprocal cooperation in this outreach by compiling twice a year a |
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| 45 | 45 | | 21record of current incarcerated persons and most recently released persons who meet the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 22requirements for acceptance into a public institution of higher education in Massachusetts. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 23 (c) If a recently released person has met the requirements for credit status but has been |
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| 48 | 48 | | 24released, the Sheriff and the Commissioner of Correction shall provide to the admissions or |
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| 49 | 49 | | 25financial aid staff representative of a public institution of higher education the last known |
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| 50 | 50 | | 26information concerning the anticipated place of residence and, if available, contact information |
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| 51 | 51 | | 27for the most recently released person. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 28 The admissions or financial aid staff representative of the public institution of higher |
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| 53 | 53 | | 29education shall, upon engagement of the qualified incarcerated person or recently released |
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| 54 | 54 | | 30person, provide specific counsel and offer expedient assistance to facilitate the current |
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| 55 | 55 | | 31incarcerated person’s or recently released person’s enrollment into freshman level for credit |
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| 56 | 56 | | 32study in the next available semester, at the public institution of higher education. In the case of |
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| 57 | 57 | | 33current qualified incarcerated person, this offer of assistance and expedited enrollment shall 3 of 3 |
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| 58 | 58 | | 34occur within 30 days of the incarcerated person’s scheduled release from the House of |
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| 59 | 59 | | 35Correction or the State Prison. This facilitated and expedited assistance shall include the |
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| 60 | 60 | | 36provision of financial aid, including need-based scholarships, to cover all costs not covered by |
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| 61 | 61 | | 37other financial aid programs of tuition, fees, and necessary supplies during the initial semester |
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| 62 | 62 | | 38following release and shall be available to the student for each subsequent semester of study |
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| 63 | 63 | | 39through completion of requirements for the award of a Certificate or Diploma. |
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| 64 | 64 | | 40 (d) The department of higher education, in consultation with the department of |
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| 65 | 65 | | 41correction, county sheriffs, and organizations concerned about the education of incarcerated |
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| 66 | 66 | | 42persons, shall promulgate regulations and guidelines for the implementation of this section. |
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| 67 | 67 | | 43 (e) The department of higher education shall file an annual report to the house and senate |
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| 68 | 68 | | 44ways and means committees, the joint committee on the judiciary, the joint committee on public |
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| 69 | 69 | | 45safety and Security, and the joint committee on higher education concerning the annual results of |
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| 70 | 70 | | 46this outreach and engagement initiative. |
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