Pivotal Public Hearing for Bill Impacting Thousands of CT Students

Senate Bill 5 would implement the largest increase in scholarship funding in decades

From left to right: Mustapha Muhammad, student at CCSU
Anthony Byers, Executive Director at Hartford Youth Scholars
State Rep. Bill Heffernan
State Rep. Gregg Haddad, co-chair of Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
State Sen. Derek Slap, co-chair of Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee

Today, the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5 – An Act Concerning Higher Education Affordability and Accountability. This legislation is a top priority of the Senate Democrats and takes aim at college affordability by fully funding the state’s Roberta B. Willis scholarship foundation which provides financial relief on a needs-basis for Connecticut students attending four-year colleges and universities in Connecticut.

Roberta B. Willis Scholarships are on average between $4,500 and $5,200. In FY 22 only 31% of eligible students received the scholarship, leaving 16,000 students that qualified for the scholarships without state assistance. This legislation would ensure that all eligible students could receive the scholarship.

With the future of federal funding for financial aid programs in question, this legislation seeks to invest in Connecticut students, schools and our workforce.

Connecticut’s investment into needs-based scholarships is among the lowest in the country. According to a NASSGAP survey, forty-three other states spend a greater percentage of state funding for higher education on student aid than Connecticut does. Connecticut also loses 40-percent of its young adults to colleges and universities in other states.

“This legislation is an investment into our state’s future,” said Senate President Martin Looney. “By offsetting the cost of Connecticut colleges and universities, we are encouraging students to stay in our state for their education and beyond, growing our economy while enjoying the high quality of life that we have built here in Connecticut.”

“Today we are hearing directly from those who stand to benefit from this legislation – our students,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff. “This legislation seeks to not just relieve the burden of affording higher education for students and their families, but invests in workforce development by keeping our highly skilled workers here in Connecticut, working for Connecticut companies and building their lives in this great state.”

“Connecticut is a prolific exporter of college students and this legislation is designed to slow the brain-drain,”  said Sen. Derek Slap, Senate Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. “Connecticut drastically underfunds our needs-based scholarship program, and with this proposal we can tell every Connecticut student that we are willing to invest in them and Connecticut is a place where they can start a career and pave the way toward more opportunity.”

“Investing in college students fuels our economy,” said Rep. Gregg Haddad, House Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. “A skilled workforce drives growth and scholarships don’t just change lives — they power our state’s future.”

Over the last several years Democrat led legislation has expanded access to higher education through debt-free community college, Connecticut Automatic Admission Program (CAAP) and expanding access to lower interest CHESLA loans.

Contact: Garnet McLaughlin
860-304-2319