IC 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 597 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 

Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition 

to the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Children of Fallen He3 roes Scholarship Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. CALCULATION OF ELIGIBILITY. 

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

6 (20 U.S.C. 1087mm(b)) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

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

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

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

12 student who meets the requirement of subpara13 graph (B)(ii)),’’ after ‘‘academic year 2009– 

14 2010’’; and 

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

16 as follows: 

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

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

19 the United States and died as a result of 

20 performing military service in Iraq or Af21 ghanistan after September 11, 2001; or 

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

23 officer and died in the line of duty while 

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

25 (2) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ and in2 serting the following: 

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

4 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and in5 serting ‘‘subparagraphs (A), (B)(i), and (C) of 

6 paragraph (2)’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.—Not9 withstanding any other provision of law, unless 

10 the Secretary establishes an alternate method 

11 to adjust the expected family contribution, for 

12 each student who meets the requirements of 

13 subparagraphs (A), (B)(ii), and (C) of para14 graph (2), a financial aid administrator shall— 

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

16 student is eligible for the adjustment; 

17 ‘‘(ii) adjust the expected family con18 tribution in accordance with this sub19 section; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) notify the Secretary of the ad21 justment and the student’s eligibility for 

22 the adjustment.’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(4) TREATMENT OF PELL AMOUNT.—Notwith25 standing section 1212 of the Omnibus Crime Control 


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

2 in the case of a student who receives an increased 

3 Federal Pell Grant amount under this section, the 

4 total amount of such Federal Pell Grant, including 

5 the increase under this subsection, shall not be con6 sidered in calculating that student’s educational as7 sistance benefits under the Public Safety Officers’ 

8 Benefits program under subpart 2 of part L of title 

9 I of such Act. 

10 ‘‘(5) DEFINITION OF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFI11 CER.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 

12 ‘public safety officer’ means— 

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

14 section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 

15 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

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

17 ‘‘(B) a fire police officer, defined as an in18 dividual who— 

19 ‘‘(i) is serving in accordance with 

20 State or local law as an officially recog21 nized or designated member of a legally or22 ganized public safety agency; 

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

24 a firefighter, a chaplain, or a member of a 

25 rescue squad or ambulance crew; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) provides scene security or di2 rects traffic— 

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

4 fire call, or other fire, rescue, or police 

5 emergency; or 

6 ‘‘(II) at a planned special 

7 event.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. CALCULATION OF PELL GRANT AMOUNT. 

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

10 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(2)) is amend11 ed— 

12 (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter pre13 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘The Amount’’ and in14 serting ‘‘Subject to subparagraph (C), the amount’’; 

15 and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub17 paragraph: 

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

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

20 and (C) of section 473(b)(2)— 

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

22 this paragraph shall be applied by sub23 stituting ‘from the amounts appropriated 

24 in the last enacted appropriation Act appli25 cable to that award year, an amount equal 


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1 to the amount of the increase calculated 

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

3 ‘the amount of the increase calculated 

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

5 ‘‘(ii) such student— 

6 ‘‘(I) shall be provided an amount 

7 under clause (i) of this subparagraph 

8 only to the extent that funds are spe9 cifically provided in advance in an ap10 propriation Act to such students for 

11 that award year; and 

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

13 amounts made available pursuant to 

14 clauses (i) through (iii) of paragraph 

15 (7)(B).’’. 

16 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—A student who is eli17 gible to receive a Federal Pell Grant for the academic year 

18 for which the determination is made, whose parent or 

19 guardian was actively serving as a public safety officer and 

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

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

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

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

24 basis shall receive a calculation of a Federal Pell Grant 

25 amount according to the amendment made by subsection 


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

2 are specifically provided in advance in an appropriation 

3 Act to such students for that award year. 

4 SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 

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

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

7 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

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

9 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

10 by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, pro11 vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 

12 vote on passage. 

13 SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

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

15 shall take effect on July 1, 2017. 

Passed the Senate September 7, 2017. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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