Bill
S 2592
Expands tuition and fee waivers for public colleges to include former wards in grandparent guardianship, with costs borne by the Commonwealth after federal reimbursements.
Note on source material and scope
- The documents provided contain conflicting texts and metadata: a federal-sounding “Supporting Ukraine Act of 2025,” a Massachusetts Senate bill titled “An Act relative to tuition waivers for children raised by a grandparent,” sponsor/committee listings that do not match each other, and an initial bill title referencing court calendar congestion after an eviction moratorium.
- This summary focuses on the actual bill text included in the packet (Massachusetts Senate No. 2592) — an amendment to chapter 15A regarding tuition waivers for students raised by grandparents. If you intended a different S.2592 (e.g., the eviction/court calendar or the federal Ukraine bill), please confirm and I will summarize that version instead.
Summary — tuition waivers for children raised by a grandparent (Massachusetts Senate No. 2592)
- Purpose: To expand eligibility for state-supported tuition and fee waivers at public Massachusetts institutions of higher education to include residents who were placed in legal guardianship under chapter 190B and who are living with a grandparent when they turn 18 or when they enroll in a Massachusetts public college or university.
- Statutory change: Amends Section 19 of chapter 15A (as in the 2022 Official Edition) by inserting a new paragraph that:
- Extends program eligibility to any Commonwealth resident who (a) has been the subject of a legal guardianship under section 5‑201 of chapter 190B and (b) upon reaching age 18 or upon enrolling in a Massachusetts institution of higher education is living with a grandparent.
- Specifies that the Commonwealth (state government), not the public higher education institutions, will bear the cost of these waivers — but only after all available federal reimbursements have been exhausted.
- Who is affected:
- Primary beneficiaries: Young adults who were placed in legal guardianship and who live with a grandparent at age 18 or at enrollment — they would be eligible for waived tuition and fees at state public colleges and universities.
- Public higher education institutions: Would not absorb the cost of these waivers; administrative processes (verification of guardianship and living arrangement) will likely be required.
- Commonwealth/state budget: New state fiscal liability to cover waiver costs once federal reimbursements are exhausted.
- Grandparents and kinship caregivers: Potentially greater ability to support higher-education access for dependents in their care.
- Fiscal/administrative implications:
- The bill creates a contingent state cost. No dollar amounts or appropriation language is provided in the text; cost depends on number of eligible students and federal reimbursement availability.
- Implementation will require mechanisms to verify legal guardianship under chapter 190B and proof of living with a grandparent at specified times.
- Procedural status (as provided; contains inconsistencies):
- Filed/Reported in Massachusetts Senate: document shows filing on 8/28/2025, reported by the committee on Higher Education on 9/8/2025, and referred to Senate Ways and Means. Other provided legislative-action entries (including “REFERRED TO JUDICIARY” and federal committee listings) appear inconsistent with the Massachusetts text and should be verified.
Bottom line
- The bill would broaden tuition-waiver eligibility to include former wards under legal guardianship who live with grandparents at age 18 or at enrollment, placing the cost responsibility on the Commonwealth (after federal reimbursements). The proposal likely expands higher-education access for youth in kinship care but creates a new state fiscal obligation and administrative verification needs.
If you want, I can:
- Draft a one-page fiscal impact checklist of information the Legislature would need to estimate costs; or
- Summarize instead the other S.2592 texts referenced (the eviction/court calendar bill or the Supporting Ukraine Act) if you provide/confirm the intended version.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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