H1421 • 2025

An Act establishing the John F. Kennedy service scholarship program for student debt relief for peace corps, americorps, and commonwealth corps alumni

Education

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: James C. Arena-DeRosa
Last action: 2026-02-05
Official status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act establishing the John F. Kennedy service scholarship program for student debt relief for peace corps, americorps, and commonwealth corps alumni

An Act establishing the John F.

What This Bill Does

An Act establishing the John F.
Kennedy service scholarship program for student debt relief for peace corps, americorps, and commonwealth corps alumni By Representative Arena-DeRosa of Holliston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
1421) of James C.
Arena-DeRosa, Kristin E.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-02-05 House
Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
2025-10-03 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 10/16/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on Higher Education
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act establishing the John F. Kennedy service scholarship program for student debt relief for peace corps, americorps, and commonwealth corps alumni
By Representative Arena-DeRosa of Holliston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1421) of James C. Arena-DeRosa, Kristin E. Kassner and Carmine Lawrence Gentile for legislation to establish a student debt relief grant program. Higher Education.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill H.1421

Chapter 15C of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 30. (a) There shall be within the authority a student debt relief grant program, to be known as the John F. Kennedy Service Scholarship, for Massachusetts residents who have completed a volunteer program with the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or Commonwealth Corps.

(b) To be eligible for a grant award under the program, an applicant shall: (i) be a resident of the commonwealth; (ii) have successfully completed at least 1 volunteer program approved by the authority with the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or Commonwealth Corps; (iii) be employed by the commonwealth, a municipal government within the commonwealth, an office of the federal government located in the commonwealth or a nonprofit organization located in the commonwealth; and (iv) have an annual income equal to or less than the commonwealth’s annual median income as determined by the authority.

(c) An applicant who meets the requirements set forth in subsection (b) shall be eligible for a grant award, subject to appropriation, equal to 100 per cent of their outstanding student debt

up to the amount of

$5,000.

(d) The authority may promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section.

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