Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021
Latest action · Jun 16, 2021 Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 16, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021
This bill makes various changes to the Federal Pell Grant program, including by expanding student eligibility for Pell Grants. The bill also revises student eligibility for federal student-aid programs.
Specifically, the bill provides funding to increase the maximum Pell Grant award for each eligible student. Further, the bill requires the award amount to be adjusted for inflation.
Next, the bill allows students who receive means-tested federal benefits (e.g., Medicaid) to automatically qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award plus an additional award amount.
In addition, the bill moves the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant program into the Pell Grant program.
Next, the bill raises from 12 to 18 the total number of semesters during which a student may receive a Pell Grant.
The bill makes Dreamer students (i.e., students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status) who entered the United States before the age of 18 and who meet certain educational criteria eligible for federal financial aid.
The bill also revises satisfactory academic progress requirements for federal student-aid programs, including by allowing a student who has not been enrolled in an institution of higher education for two years to regain eligibility for federal student aid.
Cosponsors 95
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 16, 2021 to Dec 21, 2022; 57 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-WA | Adam Smith | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-FL | Al Lawson, Jr. | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-IN | André Carson | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MI | Andy Levin | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-PA | Brendan F. Boyle | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MO | Cori Bush | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-IL | Danny K. Davis | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-WA | Derek Kilmer | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-PA | Dwight Evans | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MP | Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MA | Jake Auchincloss | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-RI | James R. Langevin | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | John Garamendi | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Joseph D. Morelle | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-OH | Joyce Beatty | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MD | Kweisi Mfume | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-GA | Lucy McBath | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-IL | Marie Newman | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Mark Takano | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-PA | Michael F. Doyle | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Mondaire Jones | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-VA | Robert C. "Bobby" Scott | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-AZ | Ruben Gallego | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NM | Teresa Leger Fernandez | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-NY | Thomas R. Suozzi | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-FL | Val Butler Demings | Original | Jun 16, 2021 |
| D-MI | Debbie Dingell | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Donald Norcross | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Jim Cooper | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| D-MD | John P. Sarbanes | Jun 21, 2021 | |
| D-VA | A. Donald McEachin | Jun 22, 2021 | |
| D-IN | Frank J. Mrvan | Jun 22, 2021 | |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Jun 22, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Jun 22, 2021 | |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Jun 22, 2021 | |
| D-MD | C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger | Jun 23, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Jul 2, 2021 | |
| D-VA | Jennifer Wexton | Jul 2, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Jul 2, 2021 | |
| D-HI | Kaiali'i Kahele | Jul 2, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Pete Aguilar | Jul 2, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Jul 2, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Ed Perlmutter | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Katie Porter | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Lloyd Doggett | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Madeleine Dean | Jul 22, 2021 | |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Sep 28, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Sep 28, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Sep 28, 2021 | |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Sep 28, 2021 | |
| D-GU | Michael F. Q. San Nicolas | Sep 28, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | Nov 12, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Nov 23, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Matt Cartwright | Dec 8, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Mar 1, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Nanette Diaz Barragán | Mar 17, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Jamaal Bowman | Jun 9, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Sep 19, 2022 | |
| D-GA | Nikema Williams | Dec 21, 2022 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Education and Workforce Committee | Referred Jun 16, 2021 |
| House | Budget Committee | Referred Jun 16, 2021 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 16, 2021Introduced in House
- Jun 16, 2021Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 105, June 16, 2021, page H2893.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 117-26 | KEEPING THE PELL GRANT PROMISE: INCREASING ENROLLMENT, SUPPORTING SUCCESS95 pages | Education and Workforce Committee | Jul 29, 2021 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R48442 | Pell Grant Program: Major Congressional Proposals | Report | Feb 28, 2025 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2081 | Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021 | Identical bill | Jun 16, 2021 |
| HR 8872 | LOAN Act | Related bill | Sep 15, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To improve the structure of the Federal Pell Grant program, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
- Academic performance and assessments
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Education
- Education of the disadvantaged
- Education programs funding
- Higher education
- Immigration status and procedures
- Military personnel and dependents
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Student aid and college costs
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 16, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
