Pell Grant Sustainability Act
This bill requires the Department of Education to calculate the maximum award amount for Pell Grants for award year 2022-2023 and each subsequent award year by indexing the award amount to the rate of inflation.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6537 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6537
To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 1, 2022
Mr. Casten (for himself, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. Trone, Mrs. Hayes, Ms.
Garcia of Texas, Mr. McNerney, and Mr. Larson of Connecticut)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Pell Grant Sustainability Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) From 2009 through 2018, the maximum discretionary
Federal Pell Grants under section 401 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 stayed flat while inflation was 17 percent.
(2) The value of Federal Pell Grants must keep pace with
students' costs in order to fulfill their mission of enabling
lower-income students to attend college.
SEC. 3. INDEXING FEDERAL PELL GRANTS TO INFLATION.
(a) Award Year 2022-2023.--Section 401 of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``through fiscal year
2017'' and inserting ``through fiscal year 2022''; and
(2) in subsection (b)(7)(C), by amending clause (iii) to
read as follows:
``(iii) Subsequent award years.--
``(I) Award years 2018-2019 through
2021-2022.--For each of the award years
2018-2019 through 2021-2022, the amount
determined under this subparagraph for
purposes of subparagraph (B)(iii) shall
be equal to the amount determined under
clause (ii) for award year 2017-2018.
``(II) Award year 2022-2023.--For
award year 2022-2023 and each
subsequent award year, the amount
determined under this subparagraph for
purposes of subparagraph (B)(iii) shall
be equal to--
``(aa)(AA) $6,495 or the
total maximum Federal Pell
Grant for the preceding award
year (as determined under
clause (iv)(II)), whichever is
greater, increased by a
percentage equal to the annual
adjustment percentage for the
award year for which the amount
under this subparagraph is
being determined; reduced by
``(BB) $5,435 or the
maximum Federal Pell Grant for
which a student was eligible
for the preceding award year,
as specified in the last
enacted appropriation Act
applicable to that year,
whichever is greater; and
``(bb) rounded to the
nearest $5.''.
(b) Award Year 2023-2024, and Each Subsequent Award Year.--Section
401(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)), as
amended by section 703 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (division FF of
Public Law 116-260), is further amended--
(1) by amending paragraph (5) to read as follows:
``(5) Total maximum federal pell grant.--
``(A) In general.--For award year 2023-2024, and
each subsequent award year, the total maximum Federal
Pell Grant award per student shall be equal to the sum
of--
``(i) $1,060, increased by a percentage
equal to the annual adjustment percentage for
the award year for which the amount under this
paragraph is being determined; and
``(ii) the amount specified as the maximum
Federal Pell Grant in the last enacted
appropriation Act applicable to that award
year.
``(B) Rounding.--The total maximum Federal Pell
Grant for any award year shall be rounded to the
nearest $5.
``(C) Annual adjustment percentage defined.--In
this paragraph, the term `annual adjustment
percentage', as applied to an award year, is equal to
the estimated percentage change in the Consumer Price
Index (as determined by the Secretary, using the
definition in section 478(f)) for the most recent
calendar year ending prior to the beginning of that
award year.'';
(2) in paragraph (6)(A)(ii), by striking ``each of the
fiscal years 2023 through 2033'' and inserting ``fiscal year
2023 and each subsequent fiscal year''; and
(3) in paragraph (8)(A), by striking ``through fiscal year
2033''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
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