Title: Protect Our Gold Star Families' Education Act of 2017
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Protect Our Gold Star Families' Education Act of 2017
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to move the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants under the Pell Grant program. ED must award the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants to each eligible veteran's dependent for assisting with the costs of attending colleges and universities. Students are eligible for an award if: (1) their parent or guardian died as a result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and (2) they are less than 24 years of age and enrolled at an institution at the time of the parent or guardian's death.
Pell Grant rules pertaining to the determination of financial need do not apply to the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1125 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1125

   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide Federal Pell 
          Grants to Iraq and Afghanistan veteran's dependents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 15, 2017

 Mr. Kaine (for himself and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide Federal Pell 
          Grants to Iraq and Afghanistan veteran's dependents.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protect Our Gold Star Families' 
Education Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. PROVIDING FEDERAL PELL GRANTS FOR IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN 
              VETERAN'S DEPENDENTS.

    (a) Amendments.--Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 401, by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Scholarships for Veteran's Dependents.--
            ``(1) Definition of eligible veteran's dependent.--In this 
        subsection, the term `eligible veteran's dependent' means a 
        dependent or an independent student--
                    ``(A) whose parent or guardian was a member of the 
                Armed Forces of the United States and died as a result 
                of performing military service in Iraq or Afghanistan 
                after September 11, 2001; and
                    ``(B) who, at the time of the parent or guardian's 
                death, was--
                            ``(i) less than 24 years of age; or
                            ``(ii) enrolled at an institution of higher 
                        education on a part-time or full-time basis.
            ``(2) Grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall award a 
                Federal Pell Grant, as modified in accordance with the 
                requirements of this subsection, to each eligible 
                veteran's dependent to assist in paying the eligible 
                veteran's dependent's cost of attendance at an 
                institution of higher education.
                    ``(B) Designation.--Federal Pell Grants made under 
                this subsection may be known as `Iraq and Afghanistan 
                Service Grants'.
            ``(3) Prevention of double benefits.--No eligible veteran's 
        dependent may receive a grant under both this subsection and 
        subsection (a) for the same award year.
            ``(4) Terms and conditions.--The Secretary shall award Iraq 
        and Afghanistan Service Grants under this subsection in the 
        same manner and with the same terms and conditions, including 
        the length of the period of eligibility, as the Secretary 
        awards Federal Pell Grants under subsection (a), except that--
                    ``(A) the award rules and determination of need 
                applicable to the calculation of Federal Pell Grants 
                under subsection (a) shall not apply to Iraq and 
                Afghanistan Service Grants;
                    ``(B) the maximum period determined under 
                subsection (c)(5) shall be determined by including all 
                Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants received by the 
                eligible veteran's dependent, including such Grants 
                received under subpart 10 before the effective date of 
                this subsection; and
                    ``(C) an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant to an 
                eligible veteran's dependent for any award year shall 
                equal the maximum Federal Pell Grant available for that 
                award year, except that an Iraq and Afghanistan Service 
                Grant--
                            ``(i) shall not exceed the cost of 
                        attendance of the eligible veteran's dependent 
                        for that award year; and
                            ``(ii) shall be adjusted to reflect the 
                        attendance by the eligible veteran's dependent 
                        on a less than full-time basis in the same 
                        manner as such adjustments are made for a 
                        Federal Pell Grant under subsection (a).
            ``(5) Estimated financial assistance.--For purposes of 
        determinations of need under part F, an Iraq and Afghanistan 
        Service Grant shall not be treated as estimated financial 
        assistance as described in sections 471(3) and 480(j).''; and
            (2) by striking subpart 10.
    (b) Effective Date; Transition.--
            (1) Effective date.--The amendments made by this section 
        shall take effect with respect to the award year immediately 
        following the date of enactment of this Act.
            (2) Transition.--The Secretary shall take such steps as are 
        necessary to transition from the Iraq and Afghanistan Service 
        Grants program under subpart 10 of part A of title IV of the 
        Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070h), as in effect on 
        the day before the effective date of this section, and the Iraq 
        and Afghanistan Service Grants program under section 401(k) of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(k)), as 
        amended by this section.
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