Senate Bill 82 (FAFSA Requirement), authored by Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg), unanimously passed the Senate Education and Career Development Committee last week. “It’s déjà vu all over again,” as the saying goes.
For the third straight year, Indiana lawmakers are considering a commonsense proposal championed by the Chamber that would make completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA) a default expectation for high school seniors.
During this time, more states have adopted similar policies while Indiana has continued to lose ground in FAFSA completion, causing Hoosier students to miss out on more than $65 million annually in aid that pays for postsecondary education and training aligned with workforce needs.
With a unanimous committee vote, SB 82 appears to be on track to pass the Senate for the second year in a row where it awaits an uncertain future in the House. We will continue to advocate that the Legislature make up for lost time and finally adopt this consumer-friendly policy that’s clearly in the best interest of students and our state.
Jason Bearce is vice president of education & workforce development for the Indiana Chamber. He has been with the organization since 2018 and previously held senior leadership positions at the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and Indiana Department of Education.
