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S. 2677: In the Red Act of 2016

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S. 2677: In the Red Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-03-15 · Education · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2016-03-15 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

In the Red Act of 2016

Plain summary

In the Red Act of 2016 This bill authorizes and appropriates specified funds to the Department of Education (ED) for FY2016-FY2025 and each succeeding year for grants: (1) to waive tuition and fees for eligible students at community colleges, and (2) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for low-income students at four-year historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions. It amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct ED to establish a program to refinance outstanding federal student loans for borrowers of Direct Loan program loans disbursed before July 1, 2016, and Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program loans. (FFELs were not disbursed after June 30, 2010.) The bill modifies, for academic year 2018-2019 and succeeding years, the calculation of the mandatory add-on amount used to determine the total maximum Federal Pell Grant award. It also amends various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code to, among other things: (1) expand the expenses eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit to include the amount of a Federal Pell Grant used to pay for living expenses; and (2) include, as a qualified scholarship excludible from gross income, any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant. Finally, the bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief for: (1) deep gas wells in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) deep water oil and gas leases in the central and western Gulf of Mexico.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

In the Red Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] · 28 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] reported raising $3.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-s2677 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114