Title: Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act
This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution (EFC) used to determine financial need in the case of a Pell Grant-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty as a police officer, firefighter, or other public safety officer. Such student is eligible to receive an automatic zero EFC and qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award if the student was less than 24 years old or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of the parent or guardian's death.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 597 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 597

   To increase Federal Pell Grants for the children of fallen public 
                safety officers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2017

  Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Donnelly, and Ms. Collins) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To increase Federal Pell Grants for the children of fallen public 
                safety officers, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Children of Fallen Heroes 
Scholarship Act''.

SEC. 2. CALCULATION OF ELIGIBILITY.

    Section 473(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087mm(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``(in the case of a student who meets the 
                requirement of subparagraph (B)(i)), or academic year 
                2017-2018 (in the case of a student who meets the 
                requirement of subparagraph (B)(ii)),'' after 
                ``academic year 2009-2010''; and
                    (B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read as 
                follows:
                    ``(B) whose parent or guardian was--
                            ``(i) 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; or
                            ``(ii) actively serving as a public safety 
                        officer and died in the line of duty while 
                        performing as a public safety officer; and'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``Notwithstanding'' and inserting 
                the following:
                    ``(A) Armed forces.--Notwithstanding'';
                    (B) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and inserting 
                ``subparagraphs (A), (B)(i), and (C) of paragraph 
                (2)''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Public safety officers.--Notwithstanding any 
                other provision of law, unless the Secretary 
                establishes an alternate method to adjust the expected 
                family contribution, for each student who meets the 
                requirements of subparagraphs (A), (B)(ii), and (C) of 
                paragraph (2), a financial aid administrator shall--
                            ``(i) verify with the student that the 
                        student is eligible for the adjustment;
                            ``(ii) adjust the expected family 
                        contribution in accordance with this 
                        subsection; and
                            ``(iii) notify the Secretary of the 
                        adjustment and the student's eligibility for 
                        the adjustment.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Treatment of pell amount.--Notwithstanding section 
        1212 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 
        (42 U.S.C. 3796d-1), in the case of a student who receives an 
        increased Federal Pell Grant amount under this section, the 
        total amount of such Federal Pell Grant, including the increase 
        under this subsection, shall not be considered in calculating 
        that student's educational assistance benefits under the Public 
        Safety Officers' Benefits program under subpart 2 of part L of 
        title I of such Act.
            ``(5) Definition of public safety officer.--For purposes of 
        this subsection, the term `public safety officer' means--
                    ``(A) a public safety officer, as defined in 
                section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
                and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b); or
                    ``(B) a fire police officer, defined as an 
                individual who--
                            ``(i) is serving in accordance with State 
                        or local law as an officially recognized or 
                        designated member of a legally organized public 
                        safety agency;
                            ``(ii) is not a law enforcement officer, a 
                        firefighter, a chaplain, or a member of a 
                        rescue squad or ambulance crew; and
                            ``(iii) provides scene security or directs 
                        traffic--
                                    ``(I) in response to any fire 
                                drill, fire call, or other fire, 
                                rescue, or police emergency; or
                                    ``(II) at a planned special 
                                event.''.

SEC. 3. CALCULATION OF PELL GRANT AMOUNT.

    (a) In General.--Section 401(b)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause 
        (i), by striking ``The Amount'' and inserting ``Subject to 
        subparagraph (C), the amount''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) In the case of a student who meets the 
                requirements of subparagraphs (A), (B)(ii), and (C) of 
                section 473(b)(2)--
                            ``(i) clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of 
                        this paragraph shall be applied by substituting 
                        `from the amounts appropriated in the last 
                        enacted appropriation Act applicable to that 
                        award year, an amount equal to the amount of 
                        the increase calculated under paragraph (7)(B) 
                        for that year' for `the amount of the increase 
                        calculated under paragraph (7)(B) for that 
                        year'; and
                            ``(ii) such student--
                                    ``(I) shall be provided an amount 
                                under clause (i) of this subparagraph 
                                only to the extent that funds are 
                                specifically provided in advance in an 
                                appropriation Act to such students for 
                                that award year; and
                                    ``(II) shall not be eligible for 
                                the amounts made available pursuant to 
                                clauses (i) through (iii) of paragraph 
                                (7)(B).''.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--A student who is eligible to receive a 
Federal Pell Grant for the academic year for which the determination is 
made, whose parent or guardian was actively serving as a public safety 
officer and died in the line of duty while performing as a public 
safety officer, and who, at the time of the parent or guardian's death, 
was less than 24 years of age, or enrolled at an institution of higher 
education on a part-time or full-time basis shall receive a calculation 
of a Federal Pell Grant amount according to the amendment made by 
subsection (a) for the academic year only to the extent that funds are 
specifically provided in advance in an appropriation Act to such 
students for that award year.

SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

    The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by 
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO 
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that 
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall take effect on 
July 1, 2017.
                                 <all>