The legislation requires all public institutions of higher education to develop and adopt written policies and procedures to accept a score of 3, 4, and 5 on all advanced placement examinations to satisfy degree requirements and make these policies transparent on university and college websites. The bill is modeled after similar legislation signed into law in other states and will help more students get an early start on college.
An Act establishing a college tuition tax deduction
In a time when students and families across Massachusetts are struggling to afford college, we must do everything in our power to make higher education more affordable.
This legislation would allow students to deduct up to 50% of tuition and fee payments — significant relief to lower and middle-class families pursuing a degree.
An Act assisting low-income students success through work-study
This legislation creates work-study employment opportunities for eligible low-income students enrolled in a certificate or two-year associate degree program at community colleges.
An Act relative to school bus safety cameras
This legislation would allow school districts to equip their school busses with automated traffic enforcement cameras that fine drivers who illegally pass a school bus while it is stopped with its flashing lights illuminated. The bill includes data protections for citizens and due process provisions.
At least 24 states currently have school bus stop-arm camera laws.
An Act protecting public higher education student information
Recently, public college and university campuses have been inundated with public records requests for the personal information of students. These requests seek information such as student names, home and school addresses, dates of birth, telephone and cellphone numbers, email addresses, areas of study, graduation dates, parents’ names, and their home addresses. Frequently, campuses feel compelled to provide this information as it has been designated as a "public record" for the purposes of complying with the state's public records laws.
This legislation amends Chapter 66 so that campuses would not be required to comply with public records requests for student data that is defined as an "education record" in the federal Family Education and Privacy Act (FERPA), including records that have been designated by campuses as "directory information."
An Act relative to early education funding
When the Expanded Gaming Act passed in 2011, it required that a certain percentage of casino and gaming tax revenue collected by the State of Massachusetts would be designated to fund K-12 and higher education.
This legislation would direct an equal portion of this funding to be designated to early education.
An Act relative to local approval for charter schools
This legislation gives communities a role in the establishment of charter schools in their area — a process that can dramatically impact traditional public school funding issues. The bill requires a vote from either a school committee or city council to approve the placement of a charter school that would draw significantly from that community.
An Act relative to public safety on private college and university campuses
This legislation allows for police officers employed by private colleges in universities to be eligible to obtain a Massachusetts Police Identification Card, which is currently used as a basic ID across law enforcement departments. This is especially important for a number of urban campus departments who regularly assist municipal departments for large scale events, including the Boston Marathon or various parades. It also allows these officers to carry tasers, under the same regulations as other police officers.
An Act relative to the Massachusetts State College Building Authority
This legislation permits state universities with projects authorized in the Higher Education Bond Bill (Chapter 258 of the Acts of 2008) to be able to utilize supplemental funding accessed through the Massachusetts State College Building Authority.