Bill

HB 6885

AN ACT EXPANDING THE DEBT-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Patrick Biggins and 7 co-sponsors

Expands Connecticut’s debt-free community college by widening eligibility and covered costs to boost access while potentially increasing state funding.

TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

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Bill Summary · HB 6885

Summary — HB 6885: AN ACT EXPANDING THE DEBT-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM

Basic bill information

Bill number: HB 6885
Title: An Act Expanding the Debt-Free Community College Program
Introduced: February 6, 2025
Current status: Tabled for House Calendar (most recent action: 2025-05-06)
Subject tags (from bill record): Board of Regents for Higher Education, community colleges, State universities, tuition waivers, University of Connecticut

Note: The full bill text and versions were not included in the materials provided. The summary below describes the bill’s apparent purpose, likely types of provisions based on its title and subject tags, and the documented legislative actions. For exact statutory changes and fiscal details, consult the bill text and the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) and Office of Legislative Research (OLR) reports.

Purpose / intent

The bill’s stated aim is to broaden Connecticut’s “debt-free community college” program to increase access to postsecondary education with little or no student debt. Expansion could mean enlarging eligibility, increasing the program’s scope (for example by covering additional costs or institutions), or modifying administrative oversight.

Likely key provisions (based on title and subject)

Because the bill text is not provided, these are the types of changes commonly included in legislation with this title and subject matter:
- Expand eligibility criteria (e.g., higher income thresholds, part-time students, adults returning to school).
- Broaden covered costs beyond tuition to include mandatory fees, course materials, or other student charges.
- Extend program benefits or a related tuition-waiver model to additional institutions (e.g., State universities or the University of Connecticut) or create pathways between community colleges and four-year institutions.
- Adjust administration or oversight (e.g., responsibilities of the Board of Regents for Higher Education or coordination with the Office of Higher Education).
- Create reporting requirements, eligibility verification procedures, or definitions of covered student populations.
- Provide or modify state appropriations, tuition waiver mechanisms, or funding formulas to cover expanded benefits.

Who would be affected

Students attending community colleges in Connecticut (and potentially eligible students at state universities or UConn if expansion includes them).
Community colleges, and possibly state university campuses, in terms of enrollment, tuition revenue, and administrative workload.
State higher education governance entities (Board of Regents, Office of Higher Education).
State budget and taxpayers, because expansion typically requires additional funding or reallocation of aid (hence referral to Appropriations and OFA).

Procedural timeline / status

Feb 6, 2025: Referred to Joint Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement.
Mar 3, 2025: Public hearing held (3/7).
Mar 13, 2025: Joint Favorable Substitute.
Mar 17 & Apr 2, 2025: Filed with LCO; Favorable report and placed on House calendar (House Calendar No. 287; File No. 457).
Apr 29, 2025: Referred by House to Appropriations Committee.
May 5, 2025: Joint Favorable (presumably from Appropriations).
May 6, 2025: Filed with LCO; reported out of LCO; “No new file by Comm. on Appropriations”; Tabled for House calendar.

Fiscal and policy considerations

Expansion will likely have a measurable fiscal impact (increased state expenditures or restructured aid); the bill was referred to OFA/OLR for analysis.
Potential policy trade-offs include broader access to higher education versus costs to the state and effects on institutional budgets.
Administrative capacity to verify eligibility and implement expanded benefits will be a factor.