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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pell Grant Sustain-
ability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) From 2009 through 2018, the maximum 
discretionary Federal Pell Grants under section 401 
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of the Higher Education Act of 1965 stayed flat 
while inflation was 17 percent. 
(2) The value of Federal Pell Grants must keep 
pace with students’ costs in order to fulfill their mis-
sion of enabling lower-income students to attend col-
lege. 
SEC. 3. INDEXING FEDERAL PELL GRANTS TO INFLATION. 
(a) AWARD YEAR 2022–2023.—Section 401 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘through 
fiscal year 2017’’ and inserting ‘‘through fiscal year 
2022’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(7)(C), by amending clause 
(iii) to read as follows: 
‘‘(iii) SUBSEQUENT AWARD YEARS.— 
‘‘(I) AWARD
YEARS
2018–2019 
THROUGH 2021–2022.—For each of the 
award 
years 
2018–2019 
through 
2021–2022, the amount determined 
under this subparagraph for purposes 
of subparagraph (B)(iii) shall be equal 
to the amount determined under 
clause (ii) for award year 2017–2018. 
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‘‘(II) AWARD YEAR 2022–2023.— 
For award year 2022–2023 and each 
subsequent award year, the amount 
determined under this subparagraph 
for purposes of subparagraph (B)(iii) 
shall be equal to— 
‘‘(aa)(AA) $6,495 or the 
total 
maximum 
Federal 
Pell 
Grant for the preceding award 
year (as determined under clause 
(iv)(II)), whichever is greater, in-
creased by a percentage equal to 
the annual adjustment percent-
age for the award year for which 
the amount under this subpara-
graph is being determined; re-
duced by 
‘‘(BB) $5,435 or the max-
imum Federal Pell Grant for 
which a student was eligible for 
the preceding award year, as 
specified in the last enacted ap-
propriation Act applicable to that 
year, whichever is greater; and 
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‘‘(bb) rounded to the nearest 
$5.’’. 
(b) AWARD YEAR 2023–2024, AND EACH SUBSE-
QUENT AWARD YEAR.—Section 401(b) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)), as amended 
by section 703 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (division 
FF of Public Law 116–260), is further amended— 
(1) by amending paragraph (5) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(5) 
TOTAL
MAXIMUM
FEDERAL
PELL 
GRANT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For award year 2023– 
2024, and each subsequent award year, the 
total maximum Federal Pell Grant award per 
student shall be equal to the sum of— 
‘‘(i) $1,060, increased by a percentage 
equal to the annual adjustment percentage 
for the award year for which the amount 
under this paragraph is being determined; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the amount specified as the max-
imum Federal Pell Grant in the last en-
acted appropriation Act applicable to that 
award year. 
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‘‘(B) ROUNDING.—The total maximum 
Federal Pell Grant for any award year shall be 
rounded to the nearest $5. 
‘‘(C) ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT PERCENTAGE 
DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘annual 
adjustment percentage’, as applied to an award 
year, is equal to the estimated percentage 
change in the Consumer Price Index (as deter-
mined by the Secretary, using the definition in 
section 478(f)) for the most recent calendar 
year ending prior to the beginning of that 
award year.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (6)(A)(ii), by striking ‘‘each of 
the fiscal years 2023 through 2033’’ and inserting 
‘‘fiscal year 2023 and each subsequent fiscal year’’; 
and 
(3) in paragraph (8)(A), by striking ‘‘through 
fiscal year 2033’’. 
Æ 
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