Title: Go to High School, Go to College Act of 2017
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Go to High School, Go to College Act of 2017
This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education to carry out (from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2023) a program awarding Early College Federal Pell Grants to students to support their enrollment in, and completion of, postsecondary courses offered through early college high schools.
Students who would be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant if not for their enrollment in secondary school are deemed eligible for an Early College Federal Pell Grant upon their completion of a full-time postsecondary semester or its equivalent.
Students may receive Early College Federal Pell Grants in an amount equal to the cost of not more than four full-time postsecondary semesters or the equivalent while enrolled in postsecondary courses offered by an early college high school.
Early College Federal Pell Grants shall count toward the 12-semester, or equivalent, limit on a student's receipt of Federal Pell Grants.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 840 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 840

  To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Secretary of 
         Education to award Early College Federal Pell Grants.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2017

Mr. Portman (for himself and Mr. Warner) 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 allow the Secretary of 
         Education to award Early College Federal Pell Grants.

    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 ``Go to High School, Go to College Act 
of 2017''.

SEC. 2. EARLY COLLEGE FEDERAL PELL GRANT.

    Section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Early College Federal Pell Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding the requirement under 
        section 484(a)(1) that a student not been enrolled in an 
        elementary or secondary school to be eligible to receive a 
        Federal Pell Grant under this section, for the award years 
        beginning on July 1, 2017, and ending on June 30, 2023, the 
        Secretary shall carry out a program to award Early College 
        Federal Pell Grants to eligible students to support enrollment 
        in, and completion of, postsecondary courses offered through an 
        early college high school.
            ``(2) Maximum period for early college federal pell 
        grants.--An eligible student may receive an Early College 
        Federal Pell Grant under this subsection in an amount equal to 
        the cost of not more than 4 full-time postsecondary semesters, 
        or the equivalent of 4 full-time postsecondary semesters, as 
        determined by the Secretary by regulation, while enrolled in 
        postsecondary courses offered by an early college high school.
            ``(3) Counting of awards for purposes of federal pell 
        grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An Early College Federal Pell 
                Grant received under this subsection shall be counted 
                toward the maximum period for which a student may 
                receive Federal Pell Grants under this section, as 
                provided under subsection (c)(5).
                    ``(B) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the 
                requirement under subparagraph (A) on a case-by-case 
                basis for any student demonstrating evidence of a 
                credible disruption or redirection in course of study 
                necessitating additional time to complete a 
                postsecondary degree or credential.
            ``(4) Terms and conditions.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in this 
                subsection, an Early College Federal Pell Grant 
                received under this subsection shall have the same 
                terms and conditions, and be awarded in the same 
                manner, as Federal Pell Grants awarded under this 
                section.
                    ``(B) Minimum completion.--An eligible student may 
                only receive an Early College Federal Pell Grant under 
                this subsection upon completion of a full-time 
                postsecondary semester, or the equivalent of a full-
                time postsecondary semester, as determined by the 
                Secretary by regulation.
                    ``(C) Amount.--The Secretary shall pay an eligible 
                institution that is engaged in a partnership as part of 
                an early college high school an amount equal to the 
                cost of tuition, fees, and books for each postsecondary 
                course (including with respect to the postsecondary 
                courses completed to satisfy the requirement under 
                subparagraph (B)) an eligible student completes through 
                such early college high school, provided such eligible 
                student satisfies the requirement under subparagraph 
                (B).
            ``(5) Reporting.--Each early college high school shall 
        annually submit to the Secretary a report on the program of 
        postsecondary courses provided to eligible students that 
        includes the following information that is reported for all 
        eligible students and disaggregated by each student subgroup of 
        eligible students:
                    ``(A) Total number and percentage of eligible 
                students who enroll in and subsequently complete the 
                program at the early college high school.
                    ``(B) The number of postsecondary credits earned by 
                eligible students while enrolled in the early college 
                high school that may be applied toward a postsecondary 
                degree or credential program.
                    ``(C) The percentage of eligible students enrolled 
                in the early college high school who concurrently earn 
                a secondary school diploma and an associate degree or 
                equivalent.
                    ``(D) The percentage of early college high school 
                graduates completing the program who enroll in a 
                postsecondary institution.
                    ``(E) The total amount of Early College Federal 
                Pell Grants awarded to eligible students served by the 
                early college high school.
            ``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Early college high school.--The term `early 
                college high school' has the meaning given the term in 
                section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
                Act of 1965.
                    ``(B) Eligible institution.--The term `eligible 
                institution' means an institution that--
                            ``(i) complies with the existing 
                        requirements of being an eligible institution 
                        under this title; and
                            ``(ii) demonstrates that it--
                                    ``(I) is participating in a 
                                statewide articulation agreement;
                                    ``(II) has an articulation 
                                agreement in place with at least one 
                                public institution of higher education; 
                                or
                                    ``(III) has a track record of 
                                students successfully transferring 
                                credits earned at the institution to 
                                public institutions of higher 
                                education.
                    ``(C) Eligible student.--The term `eligible 
                student' means a student enrolled at an early college 
                high school who, if such student met the requirements 
                of section 484 for eligibility for a Federal Pell 
                Grant, would be awarded a Federal Pell Grant after the 
                determination of the expected family contribution for 
                such student.
                    ``(D) Student subgroup.--The term `student 
                subgroup' means--
                            ``(i) economically disadvantaged students;
                            ``(ii) students from major racial and 
                        ethnic groups;
                            ``(iii) children with disabilities; and
                            ``(iv) English learners.''.
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