Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S848 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 106 FILED ON: 1/10/2023
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 848
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Bruce E. Tarr
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act establishing the Finish Line Scholarship Program.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Bruce E. TarrFirst Essex and Middlesex 1 of 2
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 106 FILED ON: 1/10/2023
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 848
18	18	By Mr. Tarr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 848) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to
19	19	establish the Finish Line Scholarship Program. Higher Education.
20	20	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
21	21	SEE SENATE, NO. 769 OF 2019-2020.]
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
25	25	(2023-2024)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act establishing the Finish Line Scholarship Program.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official
31	31	2Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, after section 16, the following new section:-
32	32	3 Section 16A. Finish Line Scholarship Program
33	33	4 There shall be a Finish Line Scholarship Program to provide scholarships to cover the
34	34	5entire cost of tuition and fees for one year other than the first, in a program leading to an
35	35	6associate’s or bachelor’s degree at a Massachusetts public college or university. The scholarships
36	36	7will be available to residents of the Commonwealth in need of financial assistance whose family
37	37	8income is less than the median family income in Massachusetts.
38	38	9 The Department of Higher Education shall establish guidelines governing said program,
39	39	10which shall include but not be limited to eligibility requirements, selection criteria (such as 2 of 2
40	40	11acceptable grades and an academic plan for timely degree completion), and other guidelines
41	41	12designed to help meet the department’s goals, such as increasing overall student success and
42	42	13graduation rates, and lowering achievement gaps for high-risk students; provided, further, that
43	43	14no funds from this scholarship program may be used to pay the tuition or fees for any course or
44	44	15program offered or administered by a non-public entity and that no student shall be eligible to
45	45	16receive a scholarship from this program more than one time.
46	46	17 If funds appropriated for this program are insufficient to cover costs of qualified
47	47	18applicants, the department shall hold a lottery for available scholarships. The funds for the
48	48	19program are meant to supplement and not supplant existing scholarship funds; funds for this
49	49	20program shall not be derived from existing financial aid programs the Commonwealth
50	50	21administers.
51	51	22 The department shall provide the Joint Committee of Higher Education of the General
52	52	23Court a report analyzing the usage, achievements and costs of this program, together with
53	53	24recommendations for its future, no later than 120 days following the program’s first year of
54	54	25operation.