PRINTER'S NO. 1558
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1153
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY PENNYCUICK, MARTIN, K. WARD, PITTMAN, AUMENT,
ARGALL, LANGERHOLC, LAUGHLIN, MASTRIANO, REGAN, STEFANO,
VOGEL AND J. WARD, APRIL 26, 2024
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, APRIL 26, 2024
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 2022-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 2024.
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.
20240SB1153PN1558 - 2 -


Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1558: P.L.30, No.14