119-hr1666

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1666 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1666

 To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 27, 2025

Mr. Casten (for himself, Ms. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Grijalva, 
 Mr. Lynch, Mr. McGarvey, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Titus, 
 Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Schrier, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Barragan, Ms. 
 Tokuda, Mr. Bera, Ms. Adams, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. DeSaulnier, 
 Mr. Keating, Mr. Tran, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Peters, Ms. Pingree, Mr. 
 Whitesides, Mr. Thanedar, and Mr. Johnson of Georgia) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
 Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To index the maximum value of Federal Pell Grants to inflation.

 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 ``Pell Grant Sustainability Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) The purchasing power of the Federal Pell Grant has 
 declined rapidly since the 1970s. In academic year 1974-1975, 
 the total maximum Federal Pell Grant covered 80 percent of base 
 educational costs at public 4-year institutions of higher 
 education. By academic year 2022-2023, the maximum Federal Pell 
 Grant covered just 31 percent of those base costs.

    (2) The value of Federal Pell Grants must keep pace with 
 students' costs in order to fulfill their mission of enabling 
 lower-income students to attend college.

SEC. 3. INDEXING FEDERAL PELL GRANTS TO INFLATION.

 

Section 401

    (b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070a

    (b) ) is amended--

    (1) by amending paragraph

    (5) to read as follows:
 ``

    (5) Total maximum federal pell grant.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--For award year 2024-2025 and 
 each subsequent award year, the total maximum Federal 
 Pell Grant award per student shall be equal to the sum 
 of--
 ``
            (i) 
            (I) for award year 2024-2025, $1,060; 
 or
 ``
            (II) for award year 2025-2026 and each 
 subsequent award year, the amount determined 
 under this clause for the preceding award year, 
 increased by a percentage equal to the annual 
 adjustment percentage for the award year for 
 which the amount under this clause is being 
 determined; and
 ``
            (ii) the amount specified as the maximum 
 Federal Pell Grant in the last enacted 
 appropriation Act applicable to that award 
 year.
 ``
        (B) Rounding.--The total maximum Federal Pell 
 Grant for any award year shall be rounded to the 
 nearest $5.
 ``
            (C) Annual adjustment percentage defined.--In 
 this paragraph, the term `annual adjustment 
 percentage', as applied to an award year, is equal to 
 the estimated percentage change in the Consumer Price 
 Index (as determined by the Secretary, using the 
 definition in 

section 478

    (f) ) for the most recent 
 calendar year ending prior to the beginning of that 
 award year.'';

    (2) in paragraph

    (6)
        (A)
            (ii) --
        (A) by striking ``each of the fiscal years'' and 
 inserting ``fiscal year''; and
        (B) by striking ``through 2034'' and inserting 
 ``and each subsequent fiscal year''; and

    (3) in paragraph

    (8)
        (A) , by striking ``through fiscal year 
 2034''.
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