An act establishing a loan repayment program for direct care human service workers

Bill No.

Senate Bill 56 | House Bill 163

Bill Sponsor

Sen. Eric Lesser and Rep. Jeffrey Roy

Bill Status

House Bill 163 (Rep. Roy) and Senate Bill 56 (Sen. Lesser) referred to Joint Committee on Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities (March 2019).

Purpose of the Bill

This bill would create an education loan repayment program for human service workers. To be eligible, workers must be working a minimum of 35 hours per week, must have an individual income of no more than $50,000 per year and must have maintained 12 consecutive months of employment in the sector. The program would allow workers to receive up to $150/month – or up to $1,800 per year – for a period not to exceed 48 months – or four years – to repay a qualified education loan that was used to attend an institution of higher learning.

Key Facts:

  • Many human services workers’ salaries start between $12 and $13 an hour.
  • The lack of affordable higher education for human services workers and the burden of student debt greatly contribute to the sector’s recruitment and retention difficulties.
  • According to The Institute for College Access and Success, 65 percent of seniors graduating from public and nonprofit colleges in 2017 had student loan debt with an average of $28,650 per borrower. Massachusetts is 12 percent higher than the national average, with an average of $32,065 per borrower.
  • The problem grows increasingly worse in Massachusetts, as a 2018 report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center shows that average student loan debt in Massachusetts grew by 77 percent between ’04 and ’16 — faster than all but one other state.

If passed, this legislation would:

  • Amend Section 16 of Chapter 6A to create a student loan repayment program for low-paid human service workers.
  • Help organizations retain human services workers by having the state repay qualified education loans at a rate not to exceed $150/month for a period not to exceed 48 months. Payments will be made directly to the lender and only during months the participant is working 35+ hours per week as a human services worker in Massachusetts.
  • Assist human services organizations in the recruitment and retention of human service workers, defined as individuals who provide services by supporting individuals’ and families’ efforts to function in daily living situations.
  • Pay back qualified education loans, meaning any indebtedness – including interest – to pay tuition or other direct expenses incurred in connection with the pursuit of a certificate, undergraduate or graduate degree by an applicant.
  • Direct EOHHS to administer the program in accordance with Department of Education guidelines.

For more information: Email Bill Yelenak or call 617.428.3637 x122.

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