H 4651
An Act reducing the cost of attending college
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- Passed House
- Passed Senate
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Bill overview
This bill aims to lower the cost of college for Massachusetts students by establishing a new fund, the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund, to support the development and distribution of free or low-cost educational materials – known as ‘open educational resources’ or OER. The bill also creates a statewide advisory council to guide the fund’s activities and establishes a pilot program to provide no-cost digital textbooks to students. It seeks to reduce financial barriers to higher education and improve student success.
Key provisions
- Creates the Open Educational Resource Trust Fund to support OER development and distribution.
- Establishes a Statewide OER Advisory Council to provide guidance on OER implementation.
- Authorizes a competitive grant program to fund the creation of OER materials.
- Pilot program to provide no-cost digital textbooks to students.
- Defines key terms related to OER, such as ‘open educational resource’ and ‘public institution of higher education.’
- Requires institutions to inform students about OER courses.
- Mandates annual reporting on the fund’s activities and impact.
- Establishes guidelines for the review and approval of private donations to the fund.
Who is affected
- Students attending public colleges and universities in Massachusetts
- Public institutions of higher education in Massachusetts
- Faculty and educators at public institutions
- The Department of Higher Education
- Taxpayers in Massachusetts
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on Higher Education
Cosponsors
Bruce E. Tarr
Danillo A. Sena
James B. Eldridge
James C. Arena-DeRosa
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Bill H.4651 194th (Current)
An Act reducing the cost of attending college
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Bill Information
Bill Information
Sponsor: Joint Committee on Higher Education Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
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Bill History Cosponsors Committee Vote
Bill History
Displaying 3 actions for Bill H.4651
| Date | Branch | Action |
| 10/27/2025 | House | Reported from the committee on Higher Education |
| 10/27/2025 | House | New draft of H1427 |
| 10/27/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means |
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