Title: Strengthening Financial Aid for Students Act (Strengthening FAFSA)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Strengthening Financial Aid for Students Act (Strengthening FAFSA)
This bill increases the income protection allowance levels used to calculate a working student's expected family contribution and need for financial assistance. An income protection allowance is an amount for basic living expenses that is protected from being considered income available for postsecondary educational expenses.
The bill also raises from 12 to 14 the total number of semesters during which a student may receive a federal Pell Grant.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4216 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4216

   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase support for 
               working students, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 30, 2019

Mr. Delgado (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. Van Drew, and Mr. Fitzpatrick) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase support for 
               working students, 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 ``Strengthening Financial Aid for 
Students Act (Strengthening FAFSA)''.

SEC. 2. INCREASING SUPPORT FOR WORKING STUDENTS BY 35 PERCENT.

    (a) Dependent Students.--Section 475(g)(2)(D) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087oo(g)(2)(D)) is amended to read as 
follows:
                    ``(D) an income protection allowance (or a 
                successor amount prescribed by the Secretary under 
                section 478) of $9,230 for award year 2020-2021;''.
    (b) Independent Students Without Dependents Other Than a Spouse.--
Section 476 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087pp) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``award period'' and 
        inserting ``award year''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (b)(1)(A)(iv) to read as 
        follows:
                            ``(iv) an income protection allowance (or a 
                        successor amount prescribed by the Secretary 
                        under section 478)--
                                    ``(I) for single or separated 
                                students, or married students where 
                                both are enrolled pursuant to 
                                subsection (a)(2), of $14,360 for award 
                                year 2020-2021; and
                                    ``(II) for married students where 
                                one is enrolled pursuant to subsection 
                                (a)(2), of $23,030 for award year 2020-
                                2021;''.
    (c) Independent Students With Dependents Other Than a Spouse.--
Section 477 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087qq) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``award period'' and 
        inserting ``award year''; and
            (2) by amending subsection (b)(4) to read as follows:
            ``(4) Income protection allowance.--The income protection 
        allowance is determined by the following table (or a successor 
        table prescribed by the Secretary under section 478), for award 
        year 2020-2021:

                                          ``Income Protection Allowance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Family  Size                                          Number in College
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     For each
   (including           1               2               3               4               5           additional
    student)                                                                                        subtract:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      2              $36,370         $30,160                                                           $6,180
      3               45,290          39,100         $32,890
      4               55,920          49,720          43,540         $37,300
      5               65,990          59,750          53,570          47,360         $41,180
      6               77,170          70,960          64,790          58,540          52,350
For each
additional
   add:                8,710                                                                              ''.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (d) Updated Tables and Amounts.--Section 478 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
1087rr) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraphs (A) 
                and (B) and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--For each award year after award 
                year 2020-2021, the Secretary shall publish in the 
                Federal Register a revised table of income protection 
                allowances for the purpose of sections 475(c)(4) and 
                477(b)(4), subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C).
                    ``(B) Table for independent students.--For each 
                award year after award year 2020-2021, the Secretary 
                shall develop the revised table of income protection 
                allowances by increasing each of the dollar amounts 
                contained in the table of income protection allowances 
                under section 477(b)(4) by a percentage equal to the 
                estimated percentage increase in the Consumer Price 
                Index (as determined by the Secretary for the most 
                recent calendar year ending prior to the beginning of 
                the award year for which the determination is being 
                made), and rounding the result up to the nearest 
                $10.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in the first sentence, by striking 
                        ``academic year after academic year 2007-2008'' 
                        and inserting ``award year after award year 
                        2020-2021''; and
                            (ii) in the second sentence, by striking 
                        ``shall be developed'' and all that follows 
                        through the period at the end and inserting 
                        ``shall be developed for each award year after 
                        award year 2020-2021, by increasing each of the 
                        dollar amounts contained in such section for 
                        award year 2020-2021 by a percentage equal to 
                        the estimated percentage increase in the 
                        Consumer Price Index (as determined by the 
                        Secretary for the most recent calendar year 
                        ending prior to the beginning of the award year 
                        for which the determination is being made), and 
                        rounding the result up to the nearest $10.''; 
                        and
            (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ``academic year'' and 
        inserting ``award year''.

SEC. 3. RAISING THE TOTAL SEMESTERS OF FEDERAL PELL GRANT ELIGIBILITY.

    Section 401(c)(5)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070a(c)(5)) is amended by striking ``12'' each place the term appears 
and inserting ``14''.
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