I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1956 

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

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2015 

Mr. HINOJOSA (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ

of California, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. 

KIND, and Ms. FUDGE) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

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 ‘‘Pell Grant Protection 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 The purpose of this Act is to restore the role of Fed8 eral Pell Grants as the foundational Federal investment 

9 in higher education, in order to strengthen the economy 

10 of the United States by improving opportunities for lowVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 May 02, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1956.IH H1956

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1 income students to complete higher education and join the 

2 middle class. 

3 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Federal Pell Grants provided under section 

6 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1070a) (referred to in this Act as ‘‘Federal 

8 Pell Grants’’) have historically been the fundamental 

9 Federal investment in helping low-income students 

10 pay for college and enter the middle class. 

11 (2) In the 1979–1980 academic year, the max12 imum Federal Pell Grant paid for 77 percent of the 

13 average cost of attendance at an in-State, 4-year in14 stitution of higher education. However, in the 2014– 

15 2015 academic year, the maximum Federal Pell 

16 Grant covered less than one-third of that average 

17 cost of attendance. 

18 (3) The program providing Federal Pell Grants 

19 already acts as a quasi-entitlement, in which both 

20 mandatory funding and discretionary funding com21 bine to maintain a maximum Federal Pell Grant 

22 amount. 

23 (4) The Congressional Budget Office reports on 

24 any overall financial surplus or shortfall in the fund25 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 (5) Removing the Federal Pell Grant program 

11 from the uncertainty of the congressional discre12 tionary appropriations process will improve student 

13 access to, and the affordability of, higher education. 

14 SEC. 4. FUNDING THE FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM 

15 THROUGH MANDATORY APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

17 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)) is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(C)(i) For fiscal year 2016 and each succeeding fis22 cal year, there are appropriated, out of any money in the 

23 Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may 

24 be necessary to provide, in combination with any amounts 

25 separately appropriated under subparagraph (A)(ii), FedVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:36 May 02, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1956.IH H1956

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1 eral Pell Grants under this section in the amount specified 

2 in subparagraph (A) to all eligible students. 

3 ‘‘(ii) The amounts made available by clause (i) for 

4 any fiscal year shall be available beginning on October 1 

5 of that fiscal year, and shall remain available through Sep6 tember 30 of the succeeding fiscal year.’’; and 

7 (2) by striking paragraph (7). 

8 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

9 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to Federal Pell 

10 Grants awarded under section 401 of the Higher Edu11 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) for award year 

12 2016–2017 and each succeeding award year. 

Æ 


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