HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE SENDS LEGISLATION FULLY FUNDING COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO SENATE FLOOR

February 27, 2025                                       Contact: Joe O’Leary, 508-479-4969

Today, the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee cast a bipartisan vote to support Senate Bill 5, “An Act Concerning Higher Education Affordability and Accountability,” sending it to the Senate floor for further consideration. The bill fully funds the state’s Roberta B. Willis scholarship foundation, which provides financial relief to Connecticut four-year college and university students on a needs basis.

If made law, the law would fully fund the foundation’s scholarships, which provide students with between $4,500 and $5,200 per year toward tuition. In the 2022 fiscal year, 16,000 students qualifying for the scholarships did not receive state assistance, as only 31% of eligible students received scholarships due to underfunding.

In public testimony, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association noted only 40% of eligible students received grants in the 2023 fiscal year.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving testified that the legislation seeks to provide more predictable and timely financial support to Connecticut students pursuing their educations.

“Right now, the status quo in Connecticut is that two-thirds of students who are eligible for the Roberta B. Willis scholarship program – students from middle- and low-income families, many the first in their families to go to college – get nothing because we do not fully or adequately fund our public scholarship programs like many other states,” said State Senator Derek Slap (D-West Hartford), Senate Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, during the Committee’s meeting today. “As a result, we have one of the worst brain drains in the country. That’s bad for families, it’s bad for our economy. This bill is a game changer. It’s an important statement from our committee that says this is important to support families and keep our students here.”

Under the legislation, beginning in the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Office of Higher Education would disburse funds for the scholarship program no later than May 1 for grants awarded in the following fall semester and November 1 for grants awarded in the following spring semester.

The bill also seeks to support Connecticut students and students and the state’s workforce as questions arise nationally and statewide regarding future federal funding for financial aid programs.

According to a study by the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, Connecticut is in the bottom ten states nationally regarding percentage of state higher education funding for student aid. As many as three out of four of students seeking undergraduate degrees in the United States remain in-state for college, but in Connecticut, that figure drops to about three out of five.

With final passage, Senate Bill 5 would become Connecticut’s latest Democrat-led expansion of access to higher education, building on the state’s debt-free community college program, automatic admission program and expanded access to lower-interest loans from the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority.

Caption: State Representative Seth Bronko (R-Naugatuck), on left, speaks to State Senator Derek Slap during Thursday’s Higher Education Committee meeting.

Legislation to Protect Students from Federal Cuts to Loan Programs Advances

Senate Priority Bill is Voted out of the Higher Education Committee
 
HARTFORD — Today, Senate President Martin Looney, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff and Senate Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee State Senator Derek Slap applaud committee passage of legislation that will protect Connecticut graduate students from cuts to federal loan programs.

Senate Bill 8 establishes the Supplemental Graduate Student Loan Program under the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA) which will allow Connecticut graduate students to access lower-interest, state-subsidized student loans. The legislation includes $10 million in bonding in FY 27 and $20 million in FY 28, while also increasing CHESLA’s bonding authority.

The legislation passed unanimously and will head next to the Senate floor for consideration.

“Federal student loans have long been a safe, low-interest borrowing option for students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. The Trump administration’s actions will either push these students towards predatory, high-interest private loan servicers, or prevent them from entering their desired fields at all. This legislation will give Connecticut students another option – a state-backed loan program that allows them to continue their education without being saddled with high-interest student debt,” said Senate President Martin Looney.

“When the Trump regime attempts to make college less affordable and make it harder for young, passionate folks to pursue degrees in education, nursing and social work, Connecticut steps up,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff. “The White House may consider these degrees ‘non-professional’, but here in Connecticut we know that teachers, nurses and social workers do critical work to support our communities and we’ve got their back.”

“Connecticut believes in the power of education and the importance of public service and this legislation proves that,” said State Senator Derek Slap. “While Washington D.C. cuts federal graduate loan programs and makes it harder for nurses, teachers and social workers to access loans, we are creating another avenue for Connecticut students to pursue these important careers, join the state workforce and avoid high-interest student loan debt.”

For 20 years, American students have used the federal GradPLUS loan program to access lower-interest loans to bridge financial gaps while paying for their graduate studies. In 2025, the Trump administration cut the program and reclassified nursing, education and social work degrees as “non-professional”, significantly lowering borrowing limits for students pursuing these degrees. Senate Bill 8 will create a state-funded borrowing option for students, thereby investing in workforce development and offering Connecticut students a pathway to affordable higher education without relying on high-interest private loan servicers.

Sen. Slap, Rep. Haddad Statement on Comptroller’s CSCU Report

Today, State Senator Derek Slap and State Representative Gregg Haddad. co-chairs of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee released a statement on the findings of Comptroller Sean Scanlon’s report on the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) Special Examination.

“The report by the Comptroller’s office confirms the existence of questionable spending practices and controls – and identifies new examples at additional campuses. We are concerned about these findings and the potential misjudgement by leaders who are entrusted to always use state resources responsibly. As leaders of the Higher Education committee we will pursue proposals this session to improve accountability within the CSCU system and will consider further action as more information comes to light.

We believe passionately in the power of higher education to transform lives so we take seriously any processes or actions that take resources away from the classroom and undermines public confidence in our institutions of higher education.”