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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2891 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1467
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Andres X. Vargas and Chynah Tyler
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to facilitate student financial assistance.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Andres X. Vargas3rd Essex1/16/2025Chynah Tyler7th Suffolk1/16/2025Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire1/24/2025Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/27/2025 1 of 5
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2891 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1467
By Representatives Vargas of Haverhill and Tyler of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill,
House, No. 1467) of Andres X. Vargas, Chynah Tyler and others for legislation to facilitate
student financial assistance. Higher Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1294 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to facilitate student financial assistance.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 1D of Chapter 69 of the Massachusetts General Laws, as appearing
2in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after clause (iii) the following
3clause: -
4 (iv) (a) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the commonwealth to maximize federal
5and state postsecondary financial aid options through the encouragement and requirement of
6graduating students to submit the applicable application for federal and state financial aid.
7 Before graduating from high school, each student must submit a free application for
8federal student aid, hereafter referred to as the FAFSA. 2 of 5
9 (b) A student is not required to comply with subsection (a) if: (1) the student’s parent or
10guardian submits a signed form described in subsection (c) indicating that the parent or guardian
11authorizes the student to decline to complete and submit the financial aid application; or (2) the
12student signs and submits the form referenced in subsection (c) on the student’s own behalf if the
13student is 18 years of age or older or legally emancipated; or (3) the student’s school files the
14form referenced in subsection (c) to be approved by the school district, if the student has not
15reached 18 years of age.
16 (c) The department of elementary and secondary education shall develop, and all school
17districts shall adopt, 2 forms to be used for the purposes of subsection (b), as follows: A form to
18be signed by a parent/guardian, or by a student over 18 years of age or legally emancipated. This
19form shall be written in accessible language, translated into families’ preferred languages, and
20require no personal information except for student and parent/guardian (if applicable) names and
21signatures. The form shall not require any information on citizenship status.
22 A form filed by the school district on behalf of a student under the age of 18 who is not
23legally emancipated. The form shall be signed by the principal of the student’s school and shall
24include the following information: (a) attestation that the student meets all other graduation
25requirements; (b) attestation that the school has made a good faith effort to contact the family
26and to provide any support necessary to submit the FAFSA, including at least 3 personalized
27communications in the family’s preferred language.
28 Prior to completion of high school, each school district shall ensure that every
29student complies with subsection (a) or (b) and must provide to each high school student and, if 3 of 5
30applicable, their parent or guardian any support or assistance necessary to comply with this
31section.
32 (d) The commissioner shall provide guidance to districts related to the implementation of
33this section, including the distribution of information related to this requirement, reporting
34requirements for school districts and required communications to parents and guardians related
35to all financial aid options for high school students. Each district must annually report to the
36department of elementary and secondary education by September 30 the following: the number
37of students completing and submitting the free application for federal student aid; the number of
38students who received an exemption to this requirement through paragraph (iv) subsections
39(b)(1), (b)(2) and (b)(3) separately and in combination, provided further that this data be broken
40down by race, ethnicity, primary city or town of residence and such other categories that the
41department may determine.
42 SECTION 2.
43 Section 2. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a
44separate fund to be known as the FAFSA Trust Fund. The fund shall be administered by the
45commissioner of elementary and secondary education. The fund shall be credited with: (i)
46revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically
47designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from
48public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations to aid districts in supporting
49students, parents and guardians with Free Application for Federal Student Aid submission.
50Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money
51remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. 4 of 5
52 (b) Amounts credited to the fund may focus on underserved communities across the
53commonwealth, including those school districts with high concentrations of economically
54disadvantaged students, and may be expended, without further appropriation, by the
55commissioner for the following purposes: (i) to assist with the implementation and execution of
56section (a), including staff and administrator training; (ii) for the development of workshops and
57other support services and systems; and (iii) for the collaboration with stakeholder and
58community organizations to support students, parents, and guardians with Free Application for
59Federal Student Aid submission.
60 (c) Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commissioner of
61elementary and secondary education and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to
62ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit, on the
63implementation of FAFSA workshops or other programming that may be detrimental to students,
64parents, guardians, school districts, or that places limitations or restrictions on how funds can be
65used to support the implementation of this section. The review shall be made publicly available.
66 (d) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the
67house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on education and the house and senate
68committees on ways and means on the fund's activity. The report shall include, but not be limited
69to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii) the amounts distributed and the purpose of
70expenditures from the fund, including but not limited to, funds expended to assist school districts
71in meeting the requirements in section (a); (iii) any grants provided to high schools and other
72stakeholder organizations; and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next
73year. 5 of 5
74 SECTION 3. Section 1 of this act shall take effect on October 1, 2026.
75 SECTION 4. Section 2 of this act shall take effect October 1, 2025.