Title: Coronavirus Relief Flexibility for Students and Institutions Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Coronavirus Relief Flexibility for Students and Institutions Act
This bill allows additional uses for higher education emergency relief funds and requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) to apply for such funds.
Specifically, the bill permits IHEs to use emergency relief funds to defray expenses, including those related to lost revenue, incurred expenses, technology costs for distance education, faculty and staff training, and payroll. Currently, the use of such funds is limited to the delivery of instruction due to the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19).
Further, IHEs must apply to the Department of Education to receive such funds.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3947 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3947

  To amend the provisions relating to the higher education emergency 
relief fund to clarify the flexibility provided to institutions and for 
            students under the fund, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 11, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the provisions relating to the higher education emergency 
relief fund to clarify the flexibility provided to institutions and for 
            students under the fund, 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 ``Coronavirus Relief Flexibility for 
Students and Institutions Act''.

SEC. 2. HIGHER EDUCATION RELIEF FUND.

    Section 18004 of division B of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and 
Economic Security Act (Public Law 116-136) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``determines have 
        the'' and inserting ``determines, through an application 
        process, demonstrate the'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``cover any costs associated with 
                significant changes to the delivery of instruction due 
                to the coronavirus'' and inserting ``defray expenses 
                (including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses 
                already incurred, technology costs associated with a 
                transition to distance education, faculty and staff 
                training, and payroll)'';
                    (B) by striking ``Institutions'' and inserting 
                ``Notwithstanding any provision of the Higher Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), institutions''; 
                and
                    (C) by inserting ``, with the eligibility and 
                selection of the students receiving such grants being 
                determined solely by each such institution'' before the 
                period at the end; and
            (3) in subsection (d)(1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``determining grant recipients 
                and'' after ``In''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, by application under such 
                section 18004(a)(3),'' after ``demonstrates''.
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