skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

MA Lawmakers Approve Tuition Equity for Undocumented Students

play audio
Play

Monday, August 14, 2023   

Students won big in the recently approved Massachusetts state budget.

Lawmakers approved an additional $150 million in financial aid for students attending public colleges and expanded in-state tuition and financial aid eligibility to undocumented students.

Sarang Sekhavat, chief of staff for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the passage of tuition equity benefits far more than the students.

"One out of a family who can go to school can really make a huge impact on everyone else in the family," Sekhavat pointed out.

There are an estimated 11,000 undocumented students enrolled in Massachusetts public colleges, and roughly 1,000 graduate high school each year.

State lawmakers also approved $20 million for the MassReconnect program to allow those 25 years and older to attend community college for free, along with additional funding to provide free community college for all residents in 2025.

Sekhavat emphasized it is an impactful step in moving Massachusetts closer to providing debt-free public higher education.

"The impact's not just going to be today getting these kids into school," Sekhavat noted. "But even down the line as they don't have to make these student loan repayments."

Education advocates said many of the gains made in the state budget are due to last year's passage of the Fair Share Amendment, which is estimated to bring in roughly $2 billion each year in new revenue for public education and transportation needs.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the Tax Policy Center, for higher-income earners, sales taxes consume a lower share of their income than for other households. (Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Nebraska state lawmakers convene for a special session on property tax reform called by Gov. Jim Pillen, groups are weighing in on the details …


play sound

Traveling around rural Minnesota can be difficult but in more than half the state, nonprofit transit systems are helping people get where they need …

Social Issues

play sound

Recent Supreme Court rulings on air pollution are affecting Virginia and the nation. Climate advocates said the court overstepped its bounds in …


The Oregon Health Authority's hepatitis plan includes four goals: prevent new infections, improve health outcomes, eliminate health disparities and inequities, and improve the use of surveillance and data. (Azeemud-Deen Jacobs/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

World Hepatitis Day is this Sunday, and for the Oregon Health Authority, it's an opportunity to promote its plan to eliminate hepatitis across the …

Social Issues

play sound

Columbia County, New York, is implementing new facial recognition and privacy policies, following new upgrades to the county's surveillance cameras…

Although the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing barriers to employment for people with disabilities, it created new opportunities through remote work. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

New York disability-rights advocates are celebrating the 34th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 1990 …

Social Issues

play sound

A new design competition is looking to find better housing for Fargo's aging population. Like many other states, North Dakota has a growing number …

Health and Wellness

play sound

CoveredCA announced Wednesday that the average premium for plans on the marketplace will rise 7.9% in 2025, but subsidies are expected to blunt the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021