II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 900 

To improve the Federal Pell Grant program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 7, 2017 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. REED, Mr. FRANKEN, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. 

MARKEY, Mr. HEINRICH, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To improve the Federal Pell Grant program, 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 ‘‘Year-Round Pell Grant 

5 Restoration Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The Congressional Budget Office reports on 

9 any overall financial surplus or shortfall in the fund10 ing provided for the Federal Pell Grant program. 


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1 However, in recent years, in order to meet the max2 imum Federal Pell Grant level with the provided 

3 level of funding, Congress has made cuts to the pro4 gram through imposing additional eligibility require5 ments for Federal Pell Grants and limiting the avail6 ability of year-round Federal Pell Grants, causing 

7 significant uncertainty and reducing access to higher 

8 education for millions of hardworking college stu9 dents. 

10 (2) The ‘‘traditional student’’ who attends col11 lege for 4 years immediately after high school is now 

12 a minority of college students today. Ambitious stu13 dents now need more flexibility to attend school 

14 year-round while juggling work schedules. 

15 (3) Section 1860 of the Department of Defense 

16 and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 

17 (Public Law 112–10, 125 Stat. 169) eliminated the 

18 provision of the Federal Pell Grant program of the 

19 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et 

20 seq.) that allowed more than 1 Federal Pell Grant 

21 awards per year, creating significant hardship for 

22 many students trying to take courses over the sum23 mer or outside the traditional school calendar. Al24 lowing students to continue to receive Federal Pell 


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1 Grants in successive semesters, without a gap, would 

2 reduce the time needed to complete their degrees. 

3 SEC. 3. YEAR-ROUND FEDERAL PELL GRANT STUDENTS. 

4 Section 401(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

5 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)) is amended by adding at the end 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(8)(A) Effective for the 2018–2019 award year and 

8 each award year thereafter, the Secretary shall award an 

eligible student a total of not more than 11 9 ⁄2 Federal Pell 

10 Grants during a single award year to permit such student 

11 to work toward completion of an eligible program if, dur12 ing that single award year, the student— 

13 ‘‘(i) has received a Federal Pell Grant for the 

14 award year and is enrolled in an eligible program for 

15 one or more additional payment periods during the 

16 same award year that are not otherwise fully covered 

17 by the student’s Federal Pell Grant; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) is enrolled on at least a half-time basis 

19 while receiving any funds under this section. 

20 ‘‘(B) In the case of a student receiving more than 

21 one Federal Pell Grant in a single award year under sub22 paragraph (A), the total amount of the Federal Pell 

23 Grants awarded to such student for the award year may 

24 exceed the maximum Federal Pell Grant available for an 

25 award year. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Any period of study covered by a Federal Pell 

2 Grant awarded under subparagraph (A) shall be included 

3 in determining a student’s duration limit under subsection 

4 (c)(5). 

5 ‘‘(9) In any case where an eligible student is receiving 

6 a Federal Pell Grant for a payment period that spans 2 

7 award years, the Secretary shall allow the eligible institu8 tion in which the student is enrolled to determine the 

9 award year to which the additional period shall be as10 signed, as it determines is most beneficial to students.’’. 

Æ 


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