Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB432

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/17/25
• Refer: 3/17/25
• Refer: 6/11/25
• Report Pass: 6/24/25
• Engrossed: 10/8/25
• Refer: 10/8/25

Caption

In the State System of Higher Education, providing for educational opportunities for foster and adopted children.

Summary

SB432 amends Pennsylvania’s Public School Code to create a new tuition-and-fees waiver program in the State System of Higher Education for eligible foster youth and adopted children. The bill requires institutions to provide a “fostering independence waiver” to eligible nonresident students who enroll full time in in-person undergraduate courses for the first time beginning with the fall 2027 semester. The waiver covers tuition and mandatory fees after subtracting any federal, state, or other scholarships and grants the student receives. To qualify, a student must be eligible for a Chafee Education and Training Grant, and must have experienced foster care at age 16 or older, or exited foster care to adoption or permanent legal custodianship after age 16. The waiver may be used for up to five years, not necessarily consecutively, or until the student turns 26, whichever comes first. The bill also directs the State System and its institutions to develop uniform application and verification guidelines, including procedures for confirming eligibility through foster care records or self-disclosure when verification is unavailable, and allows a waiver to be denied, suspended, or revoked if eligibility is falsified.

Impact

The bill adds a new section to the Public School Code governing the State System of Higher Education and imposes new administrative, reporting, and verification duties on system institutions. It requires annual reporting on waiver recipients to the system, the Governor, the Department of Education, and legislative committee leaders, and it authorizes institutions to verify eligibility through agency records, monitor academic progress, and coordinate with other states’ foster care records when permitted. The practical effect is to expand higher-education access and reduce out-of-pocket costs for qualifying foster and adopted students, while creating a standardized statewide process for administering the waiver.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and a generally favorable reception. It advanced through the Senate Education Committee with a 9-2 vote after amendment, then moved through Appropriations unanimously, and ultimately passed the Senate floor 46-3. The unanimous committee and floor amendment votes suggest agreement on the policy goal and on refining the implementation details, while the small number of negative votes indicates limited opposition rather than major controversy.

Contention

The main points of contention appear to have been implementation details rather than the underlying purpose of helping foster and adopted students. The amendments and substituted language adjusted the start date, reporting deadlines, eligibility verification, and committee reporting structure, which suggests lawmakers focused on how the waiver would be administered and monitored. Potential concerns include the cost to institutions, the need to verify out-of-state foster care status, and the risk of misuse if eligibility is self-disclosed without documentation; the bill addresses that by allowing denial or revocation for falsified eligibility and by requiring monitoring of academic progress.