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Bill to count and support student-parents in Maryland colleges advances to committee
Summary
House Bill 6 would require Maryland public higher‑education institutions to collect consistent data on pregnant and parenting students so programs and resources can be targeted where they are needed; sponsors and student witnesses urged a favorable report but the committee did not take a recorded vote at the hearing.
Delegate Kerr introduced House Bill 6, describing personal experience balancing work, classes and childcare and saying the bill would make "student‑parents visible" so institutions can connect them to supports. He framed the measure as an amendment to the Pregnant and Parenting Support Act and argued consistent data is necessary to improve completion rates for student‑parents.
Dr. Anne Hoffman, a professor at Frederick Community College, told the committee HB 6 would extend last year’s law (HB 0846) by ensuring community colleges and other public institutions collect the programmatic data needed to evaluate and expand services. "You cannot support student parents if you do not know who they are," she said.
Student witnesses recounted barriers that interrupted academic progress. Lynn Regoulis, a University of Maryland senior, said 20% of U.S. college students are parents and nearly 70% of those attend community colleges and face poverty. Alicia Small and Jessica Branson described personal episodes of withdrawing from school or relying on fragmented supports; Dr. Jibet Lozepone, a Montgomery College student‑affairs director, said statewide data would allow institutions to move from ad hoc interventions to planned supports that improve persistence and workforce outcomes.
Delegate Kerr said prior versions passed the committee but later stalled in the Senate; he noted an unexpected fiscal note estimating $51,000 in implementation costs and asked the committee for a favorable report. The committee chair signaled intent to move HB 6 quickly but did not record a committee vote during the hearing.
Next steps: the bill was presented for committee consideration and sponsors requested a favorable report; no formal vote was recorded during this session.
