S. 2557: Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019
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S. 2557: Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019
116th Congress · introduced 2019-09-26 · Education · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-09-26 · 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: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019
Plain summary
Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions related to federal financial student aid. Specifically, the bill replaces the expected family contribution metric with a student aid index used to assess a family's financial need and approximate their financial resources to contribute to a student's higher education expenses. The bill also revises the process for filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and it removes certain eligibility requirements related to drug-related offenses and registration with the Selective Service System. The bill reauthorizes the Pell Grant program through FY2021, establishes a new eligibility formula for Pell Grants, and increases the maximum Pell Grant award. The Department of Education (ED) must conduct certain activities to educate students and their families about Pell Grant eligibility at a younger age. In addition, the bill expands Pell Grant eligibility to (1) certain incarcerated individuals; and (2) students enrolled in short-term programs that provide training in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations. ED must develop a standard terminology and format for financial aid offers, which shall provide certain information such as costs, grant and scholarship aid, annual net price, work-study, loans, and accepting or declining aid. In addition, the bill provides that a borrower on a 10-year standard loan repayment plan shall not be subject to a maximum monthly payment or any other maximum monthly payment. Further, the bill makes funding for historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions permanent.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Student Aid Improvement Act of 2019
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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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 (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s2557.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>
Record fed-us-cong116-s2557 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116