I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5489 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to create the Pell Plus program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. JOYCE of Ohio (for himself, Mr. KILMER, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. 

FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to create 

the Pell Plus program. 

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 Plus Act of 2023’’. 

5 SEC. 2. PELL PLUS PROGRAM. 

6 Section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1070a), as amended by section 703 of the FAFSA 

8 Simplification Act (title VII of division FF of Public Law 

9 116–260), is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(k) PELL PLUS PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with award 

3 year 2025–2026, for each award year for which 

4 a student receives a Federal Pell Grant and 

5 meets the requirements of paragraph (2), the 

6 Secretary shall award such student an addi7 tional Federal Pell Grant, referred to as a ‘Fed8 eral Pell Plus Grant’, in an amount equal to the 

9 amount of the student’s Federal Pell Grant 

10 award determined under this section for such 

11 award year, except as provided in subparagraph 

12 (B). 

13 ‘‘(B) COST OF ATTENDANCE REDUC14 TIONS.—In any case in which a student is 

15 awarded a Federal Pell Grant under this sec16 tion and a Federal Pell Plus grant under this 

17 subsection, the combined total of such Federal 

18 Pell Grant, such Federal Pell Plus Grant, and 

19 the amount provided by a Pell Plus institution 

20 in accordance with paragraph (4)(B)(i)(II)(aa) 

21 shall not exceed the cost of attendance (as de22 fined in section 472) at the institution at which 

23 that student is in attendance. In the case that 

24 such combined total would exceed such cost of 

25 attendance, the Secretary shall reduce the 


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1 amount of the Federal Pell Plus grant awarded 

2 to the student, taking into consideration the 

3 corresponding reduction in the amount provided 

4 by a Pell Plus institution in accordance with 

5 paragraph (4)(B)(i)(II)(aa) as a result of the 

6 reduced Federal Pell Plus grant amount, until 

7 the combined total of such reduced Federal Pell 

8 Plus Grant, such reduced amount provided by 

9 a Pell Plus institution in accordance with para10 graph (4)(B)(i)(II)(aa), and the Federal Pell 

11 Grant award of the student does not exceed 

12 such cost of attendance. 

13 ‘‘(2) STUDENT ELIGIBILITY.—A student meets the 

14 requirements of this paragraph, if the student— 

15 ‘‘(A) during the award year during which the 

16 student receives a Federal Pell Plus Grant under 

17 paragraph (1)— 

18 ‘‘(i) is enrolled— 

19 ‘‘(I) in the student’s first under20 graduate baccalaureate course of study; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(II) at a Pell Plus institution; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) is maintaining progress toward com24 pletion of such course of study in not more than 

25 a total of 4 academic years; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) has completed at least 4 semesters, or the 

2 equivalent, of such course of study. 

3 ‘‘(3) DURATION LIMITS.—The period during which 

4 a student receives a Federal Pell Plus Grant under para5 graph (1) shall be included in calculating the duration lim6 its with respect to such student under subsection (d)(5), 

7 and to the extent that such period was a fraction of a 

8 semester or the equivalent, only that same fraction of such 

9 semester or equivalent shall count towards such duration 

10 limits. 

11 ‘‘(4) PELL PLUS INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY.—For 

12 purposes of this subsection, a Pell Plus institution is an 

13 eligible institution for purposes of this subpart that— 

14 ‘‘(A) notifies the Secretary that the institution 

15 desires to participate in the program under this sub16 section; 

17 ‘‘(B) agrees to provide, to each student receiv18 ing a Federal Pell Plus Grant under paragraph 

19 (1)— 

20 ‘‘(i) for each award year for which the stu21 dent receives such Federal Pell Plus Grant— 

22 ‘‘(I) a notification that shall include— 

23 ‘‘(aa) whether the student is 

24 maintaining the progress toward comVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:04 Sep 16, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5489.IH H5489

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1 pletion required under paragraph 

2 (2)(A)(ii); 

3 ‘‘(bb) in a case in which the stu4 dent is not maintaining such progress 

5 toward completion, a list of available 

6 student support services and addi7 tional resources to assist the student 

8 in completing the course of study for 

9 which the student is receiving the 

10 Federal Pell Plus Grant in not more 

11 than a total of 4 academic years; and 

12 ‘‘(cc) the amount of funds the 

13 student is receiving under the Federal 

14 Pell Plus Grant and from the institu15 tion under subclause (II)(aa); and 

16 ‘‘(II) an amount of funds— 

17 ‘‘(aa) equal to the amount of 

18 such Federal Pell Plus Grant received 

19 by the student for such award year; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(bb) using the non-Federal re22 sources of the institution, such as— 

23 ‘‘(AA) an institutional grant 

24 or scholarship; 


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1 ‘‘(BB) through a tuition or 

2 fee waiver; or 

3 ‘‘(CC) foundation or other 

4 charitable organization funds; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a student who, as of the 

7 beginning of the third academic year of the 

8 course of study for which the student is receiv9 ing the Federal Pell Plus Grant, is not main10 taining the progress toward completion required 

11 under paragraph (2)(A)(ii), a warning during 

12 such third academic year that the student will 

13 not be eligible for a Federal Pell Plus Grant 

14 under paragraph (1) for the fourth academic 

15 year of such course of study unless the student 

16 demonstrates, by not later than the end of such 

17 third academic year, progress toward com18 pleting such course of study by the end of the 

19 fourth academic year of such course of study; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(C) in the case of an institution that provides 

22 institutional grant or scholarship aid to a student 

23 for the academic year preceding the academic year 

24 for which the student receives a Federal Pell Plus 

25 Grant under paragraph (1), agrees to provide the 


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1 amount of such institutional grant or scholarship aid 

2 for any academic year for which the student receives 

3 such Federal Pell Plus Grant that the institution 

4 would have provided to such student in the absence 

5 of such Federal Pell Plus Grant, except that such 

6 amount of aid may be reduced to ensure that the 

7 combined amount of such aid, and the Federal Pell 

8 Plus Grant, the amount under subparagraph 

9 (B)(i)(II)(aa), and the Federal Pell Grant award 

10 provided to the student does not exceed the cost of 

11 attendance (as defined in section 472) at such insti12 tution for such academic year; and 

13 ‘‘(D) the Secretary determines meets the re14 quirements of this paragraph.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES. 

16 (a) AMENDMENT.—Section 485(a)(1) of the Higher 

17 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(a)(1)) is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara20 graph (U); and 

21 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub22 paragraph (V) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(W) in the case of an institution that is 

25 a Pell Plus institution under section 401(k), 


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1 any applicable information with respect to the 

2 institution’s participation in the Federal Pell 

3 Plus Grant program under such subsection.’’. 

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

5 subsection (a) shall take effect with respect to award year 

6 2025–2026 and each succeeding award year. 

Æ 


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