Education

HB 1336 allocates funds from the Public School Employees' Retirement Fund (PSERS) and the PSERS Defined Contribution Fund to cover the operational expenses of the Public School Employees' Retirement Board for fiscal year 2025-2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026), including unpaid bills from the prior fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The bill directly affects the Retirement Board by providing it with necessary funding to manage its operations and settle outstanding obligations. It is a procedural appropriations bill that does not alter retirement benefits or policy, but ensures the board has financial resources to function. The bill was enacted as Act No. 5A of 2025 after approval by both chambers and the Governor on June 27, 2025.

SB 91 amends Pennsylvania's law providing tuition waivers for children of public safety personnel who die in the line of duty. It updates definitions to include rescue squad and ambulance service members as firefighters and clarifies residency requirements for out-of-state police officers. The bill adjusts the retroactive date for the educational benefit to January 1, 2004, making it available for children of those killed since that date, and prohibits institutions from reimbursing tuition or fees paid between 2004 and the bill's effective date. The legislation repeals the previous retroactivity section and removes historical findings from the law.

Senate Bill 310 mandates that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, high school students in Pennsylvania's public, nonpublic, and private schools must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before graduating. Students or their parents/legal guardians can choose to opt out of filing the FAFSA by submitting a state-developed form to their school. Schools are responsible for providing this opt-out form and may exempt students if they cannot be reached and no FAFSA or opt-out form is submitted. The bill clarifies that schools do not require personal financial information from students or families, and any inadvertently obtained information is not a public record.

SB 165 allocates funds to the Public School Employees' Retirement Board (PSERS) for its operational expenses. The bill appropriates $61,403,000 from the Public School Employees' Retirement Fund and an additional $1,282,000 from the PSERS Defined Contribution Fund. These funds are designated for costs such as employee salaries, travel, and contractual services, enabling the board to manage retirement plans for public school employees. The appropriations cover the fiscal year from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, and also address any outstanding bills from the previous fiscal year.