I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7488 

To increase the total maximum Federal Pell Grant, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 29, 2024 

Mr. CARBAJAL (for himself and Mr. SCHIFF) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To increase the total maximum Federal Pell Grant, 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 ‘‘Degrees Not Debt Act 

5 of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF A FED7 ERAL PELL GRANT. 

8 (a) AWARD YEAR 2024–2025.—Section 401(b)(7)(C) 

9 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

10 1070a(b)(7)(C)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in clause (i)(I), by striking ‘‘clause (iv)(II)’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘clause (v)(II)’’; 

3 (2) in clause (ii)(I), by striking ‘‘clause (iv)(II)’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘clause (v)(II)’’; 

5 (3) in clause (iii)— 

6 (A) in the header, by inserting ‘‘THROUGH

7 AWARD YEAR 2023–2024’’ before the period; and 

8 (B) by inserting ‘‘through award year 

9 2023–2024’’ after ‘‘subsequent award year’’; 

10 (4) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause (v); 

11 and 

12 (5) by inserting after clause (iii) the following: 

13 ‘‘(iv) AWARD YEAR 2024–2025.—For 

14 award year 2024–2025, the amount deter15 mined under this subparagraph for pur16 poses of subparagraph (B)(iii) shall be 

17 equal to— 

18 ‘‘(I) $14,800; reduced by 

19 ‘‘(II) the maximum Federal Pell 

20 Grant for which a student was eligible 

21 for the preceding award year, as spec22 ified in the last enacted appropriation 

23 Act applicable to that year; and 

24 ‘‘(III) rounded to the nearest 

25 $5.’’. 


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1 (b) AWARD YEAR 2025–2026 AND SUBSEQUENT

2 AWARD YEARS.— 

3 (1) AMENDMENT TO AWARD AMOUNT.—Section 

4 401(b)(5)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

5 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(5)(A)), as amended by section 

6 703 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (title VII of 

7 division FF of Public Law 116–260) and section 

8 102(b)(1)(A) of the FAFSA Simplification Act 

9 Technical Corrections Act (division R of Public Law 

10 117–103), is amended to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(A)(i) AWARD YEARS 2024–2025 AND 2025– 

12 2026.—For award years 2024–2025 and 2025– 

13 2026, the total maximum Federal Pell Grant 

14 award per student shall be equal to $14,800, 

15 reduced by the amount specified as the max16 imum Federal Pell Grant in the last enacted 

17 appropriation Act applicable to that award year. 

18 ‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT AWARD YEARS.—For 

19 award year 2026–2027, and each subsequent 

20 award year, the total maximum Federal Pell 

21 Grant award per student shall be equal to the 

22 amount that is equal to $14,800, increased by 

23 a percentage equal to the annual adjustment 

24 percentage for the award year for which the 

25 amount under this subparagraph is being deterVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:18 Mar 04, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7488.IH H7488

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1 mined, then reduced by the amount specified as 

2 the maximum Federal Pell Grant in the last en3 acted appropriation Act applicable to that 

4 award year.’’. 

5 (2) DEFINITION.—Section 401(a)(2) of the 

6 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

7 1070a(a)(2)), as amended by section 703 of the 

8 FAFSA Simplification Act (title VII of division FF 

9 of Public Law 116–260), is amended— 

10 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

11 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

12 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 

13 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(G) the term ‘annual adjustment percent16 age’ as applied to an award year, is equal to the 

17 estimated percentage change in the Consumer 

18 Price Index (as determined by the Secretary, 

19 using the definition in section 478(f)) for the 

20 most recent calendar year ending prior to the 

21 beginning of that award year.’’. 

22 (3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 

23 by this subsection shall take effect as if included in 

24 section 703 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (title 

25 VII of division FF of Public Law 116–260) and in 


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1 accordance with section 701(b) of such Act, as 

2 amended by section 102(a) of the FAFSA Sim3 plification Act Technical Corrections Act (division R 

4 of Public Law 117–103) (including the authorization 

5 provided under section 102(c)(1)(A) of such Act). 

Æ 


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