SB 432 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in the State System of Higher Education, providing for educational opportunities for foster and adopted children.

PRINTER'S NO.   399

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 432
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY PENNYCUICK, FONTANA, LAUGHLIN, J. WARD, STEFANO
        AND MASTRIANO, MARCH 17, 2025

     REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 17, 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 the State System of Higher
 6      Education, providing for educational opportunities for foster
 7      and adopted children.
 8      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 9   hereby enacts as follows:
10      Section 1.    The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
11   as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
12   section to read:
13      Section 2023-A.    Educational Opportunities for Foster and
14   Adopted Children.--(a)    An institution shall provide each
15   eligible nonresident student who enrolls with a fostering
16   independence waiver for undergraduate courses beginning with the
17   semester starting in fall 2025.
18      (b)   To be eligible for a fostering independence waiver an
19   individual must:
20      (1)   Be eligible for a Chafee Education and Training Grant
 1   under the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-
 2   169, 113 Stat. 1822).
 3      (2)   Identify as a youth who has experienced foster care at
 4   sixteen years of age or older or, after attaining sixteen years
 5   of age, exited foster care to adoption or permanent legal
 6   custodianship.
 7      (3)   Apply for Federal and State grants.
 8      (c)   The fostering independence waiver shall be available for
 9   up to five years, whether or not consecutive, or until the
10   individual reaches twenty-six years of age, whichever occurs
11   first.
12      (d)   An institution shall annually report the number of
13   students who enroll and receive a fostering independence waiver
14   under this section to the system, and the system shall report
15   the information to the Governor, the Department of Education,
16   the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations
17   Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority
18   chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the House of
19   Representatives.
20      (e)   For the purposes of this section, the term "fostering
21   independence waiver" means an amount equal to the waiver of
22   tuition and mandatory fees after the subtraction of the amount
23   of any Federal grants, State grants and other scholarships or
24   grants an individual receives.
25      Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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