SB 310 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in high schools, providing for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

PRINTER'S NO.   206

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 310
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY MARTIN, ARGALL, BARTOLOTTA, BOSCOLA, BROWN,
        FONTANA, MILLER, PENNYCUICK AND SANTARSIERO,
        FEBRUARY 18, 2025

     REFERRED TO EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 18, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in high schools, providing for Free
 6      Application for Federal Student Aid.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9      Section 1.    The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10   as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11   section to read:
12      Section 1617.    Free Application for Federal Student Aid.--(a)
13   Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, prior to completing
14   high school, a student who attends a school entity in this
15   Commonwealth, unless exempted under subsection (e), shall file a
16   FAFSA with the United States Department of Education or submit
17   an opt-out form in accordance with subsection (b).
18      (b)   The parent or legal guardian of a student or, if a
19   student is at least eighteen years of age or legally
 1   emancipated, the student may opt out of filing the FAFSA under
 2   subsection (a) by completing and submitting to the school entity
 3   an opt-out form developed by the department, in consultation
 4   with the agency. The opt-out form shall include a statement that
 5   the parent, legal guardian or student, as applicable,
 6   understands the purpose of the FAFSA and has chosen not to file
 7   the application.
 8      (c)   The department shall make the opt-out form available to
 9   school entities and post the opt-out form on the department's
10   publicly accessible Internet website.
11      (d)   A school entity shall provide a copy of the opt-out form
12   to parents, legal guardians and students.
13      (e)   If a FAFSA is not filed or opt-out form is not submitted
14   on behalf of a student, the school entity may exempt the student
15   from the provisions of subsection (a). Prior to making an
16   exemption, the school entity must make a reasonable effort to
17   contact the parent or legal guardian of the student.
18      (f)   The agency shall provide a school entity with
19   information indicating whether a student of the school entity
20   has completed the FAFSA.
21      (g)   Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to
22   require a parent, legal guardian or student to provide personal
23   financial information to a school entity.
24      (h)   Personal financial information inadvertently obtained
25   from a parent, legal guardian or student by a school entity as a
26   result of administering this section is not a public record
27   accessible for inspection and duplication in accordance with the
28   act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Right-to-
29   Know Law."
30      (i)   As used in this section, the following words and phrases

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 1   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
 2   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
 3      "Agency" shall mean the Pennsylvania Higher Education
 4   Assistance Agency.
 5      "Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the
 6   Commonwealth.
 7      "FAFSA" shall mean the Free Application for Federal Student
 8   Aid.
 9      "School entity" shall mean an area career and technical
10   school, charter school, cyber charter school, nonpublic school,
11   private school, regional charter school or school district.
12      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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