S. 1866: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria Education Relief Act of 2017
Before you vote › Federal bills
S. 1866: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria Education Relief Act of 2017
115th Congress · introduced 2017-09-26 · Education · Latest: Signed by President.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2017-09-26 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Signed by President. (final step reached)
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria Education Relief Act of 2017
Plain summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate passed version is repeated here.) Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria Education Relief Act of 2017 (Sec. 2) This bill provides educational relief in areas for which the President has declared a major disaster or an emergency as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, or Maria or Tropical Storms Harvey, Irma, or Maria (affected areas). In the case of an institution of higher education (IHE) that is located in an affected area, the Department of Education (ED) must waive matching fund requirements under the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG) or the Federal Work-Study Program (FWS). In the case of an IHE that is not located in an affected area but has enrolled or accepted for enrollment students affected by the hurricanes or tropical storms, ED may waive the matching fund requirements under FSEOG or FWS. The waivers apply to funds made available for award years 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Affected students are individuals who have applied for or received student financial assistance under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and: (1) who were enrolled or accepted for enrollment on August 25, 2017, at IHEs that are located in affected areas; (2) who are dependent students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment on that date at IHEs that are not located in affected areas, but whose parents resided or were employed on that date in affected areas; or (3) who suffered direct economic hardship as a direct result of the hurricanes or tropical storms. If IHEs return FSEOG and FWS funds that were allocated for award year 2016-2017, then ED must reallocate the remaining funds to affected IHEs. The bill extends until September 30, 2018, the deadline for ED to obligate funds for FSEOG or FWS. The bill terminates ED's waiver authority on September 30, 2018. (Sec. 3) In addition, the bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require Project School Emergency Response to Violence grants to be distributed to private schools on an equitable basis.
Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), 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
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria Education Relief Act of 2017
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · 0 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
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
- Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s1866.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>
Record fed-us-cong115-s1866 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115