June 20, 2024

Duckworth, Durbin Join Hirono, Murray, Whitehouse, Pocan, Scott to Introduce Bill to Double Pell Grant, Make College More Affordable

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C] – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), as well as U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), to introduce the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2024, bicameral legislation that would nearly double the Pell Grant maximum award, index the maximum award for inflation and make other changes to expand the award for working students and families. The Pell Grant program is the cornerstone of federal financial aid for postsecondary education, serving over 6 million undergraduate students.

“Higher education should be a ticket to the middle class—not a barrier to opportunity,” Duckworth said. “Every American deserves the opportunity to enroll in college and complete a degree, and expanding and strengthening Pell Grants is one important way to help. I’m proud to join Senators Hirono and Murray in introducing this legislation to do just that and help ensure more students have access to higher education.”

“Pell Grants open the door to higher education for millions of students who otherwise wouldn’t have access to college.  But it’s vital that Pell Grants track with the true costs of obtaining a college degree,” said Durbin. “I’m joining my colleagues to introduce the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act to double the Pell Grant award to support students as they continue their education, regardless of their financial situation.”

In addition to doubling the Pell Grant maximum award and indexing the maximum award for inflation, the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act also makes the Pell Grant funding fully mandatory to protect it from funding shortfalls, expands the program to include DREAMers and restores lifetime eligibility for the program to 18 semesters, among other changes that will benefit students.

In addition to Duckworth, Durbin, Hirono, Murray, Reed and Whitehouse, the bill is cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).  

In addition to Representatives Scott and Pocan, the bill is cosponsored in the House by U.S. Representatives Cori Bush (D-MO-01), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), Nikema Williams (D-GA-05), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37), Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), John Sarbanes (D-MD-03), Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-MP-AL), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), Brad Sherman (D-CA-32), Juan Vargas (D-CA-52), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-07), Dan Goldman (D-NY-12), Alma Adams (D-NC-12), Andre Carson (D-IN-07), Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), Seth Magaziner (D-RI-02), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10), Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14).

The Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act is endorsed by American Association of Community Colleges (AACC); Association of Community College Trustees (AACT); American Association for State College and Universities (AASCU); Association of American Universities (AAU); American Association of University Professors (AAUP); American Association of University Women (AAUW); American Council on Education (ACE); American Federation of Teachers (AFT); American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC); Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars (APIA Scholars); Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU); Arizona Students’ Association; Associated Students of the University of California: Berkeley; Center for American Progress (CAP); Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Denver Scholarship Foundation; The Education Trust (Ed Trust); Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP); Jobs for the Future (JFF); Menlo College; National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU); National College Attainment Network (NCAN); National Education Association (NEA); New American Higher Education Policy Program; National Skills Coalition (NSC); Partnership for the Future; Phi Beta Kappa; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Southern California College Attainment Network; State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO); The Hope Center at Temple University; Third Way; The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS); Today’s Students Coalition (formerly HLA); uAspire; United Negro College Fund (UNCF); UNITE-LA; and Young Invincibles.

The full text of the bill is available here.

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