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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1734 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 597
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
James K. Hawkins
_________________
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 ensuring full reimbursement for in-district school transportation costs.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol1/15/2025Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire2/14/2025Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.12th Hampden2/14/2025Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/14/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/14/2025Christopher Richard Flanagan1st Barnstable2/14/2025Rodney M. Elliott16th Middlesex2/14/2025Danillo A. Sena37th Middlesex2/14/2025Brian W. Murray10th Worcester2/14/2025Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk2/14/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/14/2025Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/14/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/14/2025Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.5th Worcester2/14/2025Mike Connolly26th Middlesex2/14/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1734 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 597
By Representative Hawkins of Attleboro, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 597) of
James K. Hawkins and others relative to reimbursement for in-district school transportation
costs. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act ensuring full reimbursement for in-district school transportation costs.
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. Chapter 71B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official
2Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following section:-
3 Section 14. The state treasurer shall annually, on or before November twentieth,
4reimburse any city, town, regional school district or independent vocational school for
5expenditures incurred during the previous fiscal year in the transportation of pupils enrolled in
6special education programs, in the manner hereinafter defined, provided that such transportation
7services are required by the individual educational plan of each such pupil, that such services are
8not normally provided to pupils enrolled in regular day program in said city, town, regional
9school district or independent vocational school, and that the expenditures for such services are
10not eligible for reimbursement under section 5A of this chapter. Such reimbursement shall
11include: first, an amount for each such pupil enrolled in a special education program which is
12equal to the average transportation services expenditure per pupil enrolled in regular day 2 of 3
13program in said city, town, regional school district, or independent vocational school during said
14fiscal year; and second, the entire amount by which each of the average transportation services
15expenditures per pupil enrolled in each special education program prototype, as defined in
16regulations promulgated under this chapter, in said city, town, regional school district or
17independent vocational school during said fiscal year may exceed the aforesaid average
18transportation services expenditure per pupil enrolled in regular day program. In no instance,
19however, shall the amount of reimbursement for such excess cost within such special education
20program prototype exceed one hundred and ten percent of the averages of such excess costs in all
21cities, towns, regional school districts, and independent vocational schools during the fiscal year
22in which such expenditures were made.
23 In determining each said average transportation services expenditure per pupil enrolled in
24a regular day program in each city, town, regional school district, and independent vocational
25school, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall use the transportation
26services expenditure per pupil eligible for reimbursement under sections seven A, seven B or
27sixteen C of chapter seventy-one, whichever is higher, during the same fiscal year. The
28commissioner of elementary and secondary education may, by regulation, under the direction of
29the state board of elementary and secondary education, further define the expenditures per pupil
30to be used in aforesaid computations.
31 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, reimbursements
32authorized under section 14 of chapter 71B of the general laws, as inserted by this act, shall be
33made in accordance with the following funding schedule: (i) not less than 25 percent of the total
34eligible state obligation in fiscal year 2026; (ii) not less than 50 percent of the total eligible state
35obligation in fiscal year 2027; (iii) not less than 75 percent of the total eligible state obligation in 3 of 3
36fiscal year 2028; and (iv) not less than 100 percent of the total eligible state obligation in fiscal
37year 2029 and in subsequent fiscal years.
38 SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, reimbursements
39authorized under section 7A of chapter 71 of the general laws shall be made in accordance with
40the following funding schedule: (i) not less than 25 percent of the total eligible state obligation in
41fiscal year 2026; (ii) not less than 50 percent of the total eligible state obligation in fiscal year
422027; (iii) not
43 less than 75 percent of the total eligible state obligation in fiscal year 2028; and (iv) not
44less than 100 percent of the total eligible state obligation in fiscal year 2029 and in subsequent
45fiscal years.