I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6537 

To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2022 

Mr. CASTEN (for himself, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, 

Mr. MOULTON, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. TRONE, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. GARCIA

of Texas, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Mr. LARSON of Connecticut) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 

Labor 

A BILL 

To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to 

inflation. 

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 Sustain5 ability Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) From 2009 through 2018, the maximum 

9 discretionary Federal Pell Grants under section 401 


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1 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 stayed flat 

2 while inflation was 17 percent. 

3 (2) The value of Federal Pell Grants must keep 

4 pace with students’ costs in order to fulfill their mis5 sion of enabling lower-income students to attend col6 lege. 

7 SEC. 3. INDEXING FEDERAL PELL GRANTS TO INFLATION. 

8 (a) AWARD YEAR 2022–2023.—Section 401 of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘through 

12 fiscal year 2017’’ and inserting ‘‘through fiscal year 

13 2022’’; and 

14 (2) in subsection (b)(7)(C), by amending clause 

15 (iii) to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(iii) SUBSEQUENT AWARD YEARS.— 

17 ‘‘(I) AWARD YEARS 2018–2019

18 THROUGH 2021–2022.—For each of the 

19 award years 2018–2019 through 

20 2021–2022, the amount determined 

21 under this subparagraph for purposes 

22 of subparagraph (B)(iii) shall be equal 

23 to the amount determined under 

24 clause (ii) for award year 2017–2018. 


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1 ‘‘(II) AWARD YEAR 2022–2023.— 

2 For award year 2022–2023 and each 

3 subsequent award year, the amount 

4 determined under this subparagraph 

5 for purposes of subparagraph (B)(iii) 

6 shall be equal to— 

7 ‘‘(aa)(AA) $6,495 or the 

8 total maximum Federal Pell 

9 Grant for the preceding award 

10 year (as determined under clause 

11 (iv)(II)), whichever is greater, in12 creased by a percentage equal to 

13 the annual adjustment percent14 age for the award year for which 

15 the amount under this subpara16 graph is being determined; re17 duced by 

18 ‘‘(BB) $5,435 or the max19 imum Federal Pell Grant for 

20 which a student was eligible for 

21 the preceding award year, as 

22 specified in the last enacted ap23 propriation Act applicable to that 

24 year, whichever is greater; and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) rounded to the nearest 

2 $5.’’. 

3 (b) AWARD YEAR 2023–2024, AND EACH SUBSE4 QUENT AWARD YEAR.—Section 401(b) of the Higher 

5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)), as amended 

6 by section 703 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (division 

7 FF of Public Law 116–260), is further amended— 

8 (1) by amending paragraph (5) to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘(5) TOTAL MAXIMUM FEDERAL PELL

11 GRANT.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For award year 2023– 

13 2024, and each subsequent award year, the 

14 total maximum Federal Pell Grant award per 

15 student shall be equal to the sum of— 

16 ‘‘(i) $1,060, increased by a percentage 

17 equal to the annual adjustment percentage 

18 for the award year for which the amount 

19 under this paragraph is being determined; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(ii) the amount specified as the max22 imum Federal Pell Grant in the last en23 acted appropriation Act applicable to that 

24 award year. 


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1 ‘‘(B) ROUNDING.—The total maximum 

2 Federal Pell Grant for any award year shall be 

3 rounded to the nearest $5. 

4 ‘‘(C) ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT PERCENTAGE

5 DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘annual 

6 adjustment percentage’, as applied to an award 

7 year, is equal to the estimated percentage 

8 change in the Consumer Price Index (as deter9 mined by the Secretary, using the definition in 

10 section 478(f)) for the most recent calendar 

11 year ending prior to the beginning of that 

12 award year.’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (6)(A)(ii), by striking ‘‘each of 

14 the fiscal years 2023 through 2033’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘fiscal year 2023 and each subsequent fiscal year’’; 

16 and 

17 (3) in paragraph (8)(A), by striking ‘‘through 

18 fiscal year 2033’’. 

Æ 


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