II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 597 

To increase Federal Pell Grants for the children of fallen public safety 

officers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 9, 2017 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. DONNELLY, and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To increase Federal Pell Grants for the children of fallen 

public safety officers, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Children of Fallen He5 roes Scholarship Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CALCULATION OF ELIGIBILITY. 

7 Section 473(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 1087mm(b)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

2 (A), by inserting ‘‘(in the case of a student who 

3 meets the requirement of subparagraph (B)(i)), 

4 or academic year 2017–2018 (in the case of a 

5 student who meets the requirement of subpara6 graph (B)(ii)),’’ after ‘‘academic year 2009– 

7 2010’’; and 

8 (B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 

9 as follows: 

10 ‘‘(B) whose parent or guardian was— 

11 ‘‘(i) a member of the Armed Forces of 

12 the United States and died as a result of 

13 performing military service in Iraq or Af14 ghanistan after September 11, 2001; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) actively serving as a public safety 

16 officer and died in the line of duty while 

17 performing as a public safety officer; and’’; 

18 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ and in20 serting the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) ARMED FORCES.—Notwithstanding’’; 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and in23 serting ‘‘subparagraphs (A), (B)(i), and (C) of 

24 paragraph (2)’’; and 

25 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.—Not2 withstanding any other provision of law, unless 

3 the Secretary establishes an alternate method 

4 to adjust the expected family contribution, for 

5 each student who meets the requirements of 

6 subparagraphs (A), (B)(ii), and (C) of para7 graph (2), a financial aid administrator shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) verify with the student that the 

9 student is eligible for the adjustment; 

10 ‘‘(ii) adjust the expected family con11 tribution in accordance with this sub12 section; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) notify the Secretary of the ad14 justment and the student’s eligibility for 

15 the adjustment.’’; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) TREATMENT OF PELL AMOUNT.—Notwith18 standing section 1212 of the Omnibus Crime Control 

19 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796d–1), 

20 in the case of a student who receives an increased 

21 Federal Pell Grant amount under this section, the 

22 total amount of such Federal Pell Grant, including 

23 the increase under this subsection, shall not be con24 sidered in calculating that student’s educational as25 sistance benefits under the Public Safety Officers’ 


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1 Benefits program under subpart 2 of part L of title 

2 I of such Act. 

3 ‘‘(5) DEFINITION OF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFI4 CER.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 

5 ‘public safety officer’ means— 

6 ‘‘(A) a public safety officer, as defined in 

7 section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 

8 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

9 U.S.C. 3796b); or 

10 ‘‘(B) a fire police officer, defined as an in11 dividual who— 

12 ‘‘(i) is serving in accordance with 

13 State or local law as an officially recog14 nized or designated member of a legally or15 ganized public safety agency; 

16 ‘‘(ii) is not a law enforcement officer, 

17 a firefighter, a chaplain, or a member of a 

18 rescue squad or ambulance crew; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) provides scene security or di20 rects traffic— 

21 ‘‘(I) in response to any fire drill, 

22 fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police 

23 emergency; or 

24 ‘‘(II) at a planned special 

25 event.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. CALCULATION OF PELL GRANT AMOUNT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 401(b)(2) of the Higher 

3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(2)) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter pre6 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘The Amount’’ and in7 serting ‘‘Subject to subparagraph (C), the amount’’; 

8 and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub10 paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(C) In the case of a student who meets 

12 the requirements of subparagraphs (A), (B)(ii), 

13 and (C) of section 473(b)(2)— 

14 ‘‘(i) clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of 

15 this paragraph shall be applied by sub16 stituting ‘from the amounts appropriated 

17 in the last enacted appropriation Act appli18 cable to that award year, an amount equal 

19 to the amount of the increase calculated 

20 under paragraph (7)(B) for that year’ for 

21 ‘the amount of the increase calculated 

22 under paragraph (7)(B) for that year’; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) such student— 

24 ‘‘(I) shall be provided an amount 

25 under clause (i) of this subparagraph 

26 only to the extent that funds are speVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:46 Mar 16, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S597.IS S597

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1 cifically provided in advance in an ap2 propriation Act to such students for 

3 that award year; and 

4 ‘‘(II) shall not be eligible for the 

5 amounts made available pursuant to 

6 clauses (i) through (iii) of paragraph 

7 (7)(B).’’. 

8 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—A student who is eli9 gible to receive a Federal Pell Grant for the academic year 

10 for which the determination is made, whose parent or 

11 guardian was actively serving as a public safety officer and 

12 died in the line of duty while performing as a public safety 

13 officer, and who, at the time of the parent or guardian’s 

14 death, was less than 24 years of age, or enrolled at an 

15 institution of higher education on a part-time or full-time 

16 basis shall receive a calculation of a Federal Pell Grant 

17 amount according to the amendment made by subsection 

18 (a) for the academic year only to the extent that funds 

19 are specifically provided in advance in an appropriation 

20 Act to such students for that award year. 

21 SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

22 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

23 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 

24 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

25 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 


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1 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

2 by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, pro3 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

4 vote on passage. 

5 SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

6 This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 

7 shall take effect on July 1, 2017. 

Æ 


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