(photo) Sen. Martin Applauds Advancement of Bill Seeking to Create More Affordable Higher Ed

For Immediate Release

Sen. Martin Applauds Advancement of Bill Seeking to Create More Affordable Higher Ed

Sen. Henri Martin today applauded the State Senate’s unanimous May 7 passage of his proposal to prevent institutions of higher education from reducing the amount of financial aid awarded to a student as a result of that student receiving a scholarship.

“It is important to prevent schools from reducing scholarship funds,” said Sen. Martin, who serves as Ranking Senator on legislature’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee.

“We need more transparency in financial aid practices, and we must do all we can to make higher education in Connecticut more affordable.”

Scholarship displacement occurs when a student receives a scholarship and their college reorganizes their institutional aid package.  This often leads to a net zero gain for the student. Sen. Martin noted that this is detrimental to both the student and to the organizations providing scholarships.

Sen. Martin was presented with the idea for the bill by Dave Gabree, who is a member of the board of directors for the Willington Scholarship Foundation Dollars For Scholars Inc.

The bill now awaits a vote in the House of Representatives.