Bill
SB 755
SB 755 lets Maryland kinship-care students licensed by DHS be treated as independent for state need-based aid, expanding GA Grant access by removing parental income barriers.
Higher Education — Student Financial Assistance — Students in Informal Kinship Care Relationships
Status & Key Dates
- Introduced: January 27, 2025 (Sen. A. Washington).
- Assigned to: Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.
- Effective date (if enacted): July 1, 2025.
- Fiscal and policy analysis prepared by the Department of Legislative Services.
Purpose / Intent
- To expand eligibility for Maryland’s Delegate Howard P. Rawlings Educational Excellence Award (EEA) Guaranteed Access (GA) Grant by treating students who are in licensed informal kinship care relationships as independent for State student financial aid purposes. The change is intended to remove parental-income barriers for students being cared for in informal kinship arrangements and increase their access to need-based State grants.
Key Provisions
- MHEC independence determination: The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) must consider an individual who is in an informal kinship care relationship to be an independent student for State student financial aid purposes (i.e., parental income is not counted).
- Eligibility condition: To qualify under this provision, the individual must (1) participate in an informal kinship care relationship licensed by the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) and (2) provide a copy of the affidavit submitted to the county board of education that verifies the informal kinship care relationship.
- Conforming amendments: The bill modifies existing statutory provisions governing GA Grant eligibility (amending Article — Education, §§ 18‑303 and 18‑303.1).
Who is affected
- Primary beneficiaries: Students in Maryland who are in DHS‑licensed informal kinship care arrangements and seeking State student financial aid.
- Administrative actors: Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA), county boards of education, and institutions that administer GA grants.
- Fiscal impact: the State general fund for GA Grant awards and MHEC administrative costs.
Fiscal Impact (from Department of Legislative Services)
- The bill increases entitlement program costs beginning FY 2026. Estimated increase in State general fund expenditures: about $11,800 per additional GA award (reflecting the maximum award scale and program rules).
- One‑time MHEC costs: approximately $6,000 in FY 2026 for software upgrades to implement the change.
- No identified local government or small business fiscal effect.
Context / Notes
- The GA Grant is Maryland’s neediest‑student award component of the EEA program; it covers 100% of students’ need when combined with a Pell Grant. For the 2025–26 award cycle the maximum GA award is cited as $18,000. Existing GA eligibility includes age, full‑time enrollment, timing relative to high school completion, and income limits set by MHEC.
- SB 755 creates a statutory pathway for certain kinship‑care youth to be treated as independent for State aid even if they would otherwise be dependent under federal or other rules.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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