Bill > HR7689

This bill, titled the "Earl N. Williams, Sr., First Chance Act," amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to create new grant opportunities within the Student Support Services program. Specifically, it allows institutions receiving grants for this program to offer "basic and emergency supplemental living assistance grants" to students already participating in the program. Basic grants are intended to help students cover reasonable, expected costs for completing an academic year of their first undergraduate degree, while emergency grants are for unexpected expenses that could prevent students from continuing their studies. The bill outlines that institutions can decide how to divide funds between these two types of grants, the amount each student can receive (with a cap on emergency grants that starts at $500 for the 2027-2028 academic year and adjusts for inflation thereafter), and what types of expenses these grants can cover, which can include components of the cost of attendance, dependent care, transportation, and personal items. Importantly, these grants will not be counted when determining a student's overall financial aid eligibility, ensuring they supplement existing aid without reducing it, and the funds must be used to add to, not replace, existing non-Federal spending on student support services.

Education

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7689/all-info