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H717 • 2025

An Act establishing a special commission on special education funding

An Act establishing a special commission on special education funding

Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Joshua Tarsky
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Rules
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 a special commission on special education funding

An Act establishing a special commission on special education funding By Representative Tarsky of Needham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act establishing a special commission on special education funding By Representative Tarsky of Needham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 717) of Joshua Tarsky, Rebecca L.
  • Rausch and Colleen M.
  • Garry for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to state funding of special education service.

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

  1. 2026-04-09 House

    Discharged to the committee on House Rules

  2. 2026-03-23 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently

  3. 2026-02-17 House

    Reporting date extended to Friday, March 18, 2026

  4. 2025-11-18 Joint

    Hearing rescheduled to 11/18/2025 from 01:00 PM-03:25 PM in B-1 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time

  5. 2025-11-10 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 11/18/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-1

  6. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Education

  7. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act establishing a special commission on special education funding
By Representative Tarsky of Needham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 717) of Joshua Tarsky, Rebecca L. Rausch and Colleen M. Garry for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to state funding of special education service. Education.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Rules

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.717

(a) There shall be a special legislative commission to investigate and study state funding of special education services in the commonwealth. The commission shall examine the chapter 70 funding formula and the special education circuit breaker program and investigate how to improve state funding of special education services.

(b) The commission shall consist of the following members: the secretary of education or his designee, who shall serve as chair; the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education, or his designee; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education, or their respective designees; 1 member appointed by the president of the senate, who shall be an advocate for individuals with disabilities; 1 member appointed by the speaker of the house, who shall have expertise in transportation of students with disabilities; 1 member appointed by the senate minority leader; 1 member appointed by the house minority leader; the president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Federation of Teachers; the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents; the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees; the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education schools; and up to 3 additional individuals appointed by the chair.

(c) All appointments shall be made not later than 90 days after the effective date of this act.

(d) The commission shall make recommendations for: (i) changes to the chapter 70 calculation of foundation aid to accommodate increases in inflation and costs; (ii) changes to the chapter 70 required local contribution calculation; (iii) raising the threshold for or removing the cap on local contributions under chapter 70; (iv) reforming the penalty for localities deemed below effort in their contributions; (v) improving the special education circuit breaker program to better supplement local funding; and (vi) other matters related to special education funding subject to the discretion of the commission.

(e) Not later than March 6, 2026, the commission shall submit its report and recommendations for proposed legislation to the senate and house committees on ways and means, the chairs of the joint committee on education, and the clerks of the house and senate. The department of elementary and secondary education shall publish the report on its website.

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