H.R. 3946: Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-06-16 · Education · Latest: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-06-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. 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.

What does this mean?

Official title

Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021

Plain summary

Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021 This bill makes various changes to the Federal Pell Grant program, including by expanding student eligibility for Pell Grants. The bill also revises student eligibility for federal student-aid programs. Specifically, the bill provides funding to increase the maximum Pell Grant award for each eligible student. Further, the bill requires the award amount to be adjusted for inflation. Next, the bill allows students who receive means-tested federal benefits (e.g., Medicaid) to automatically qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award plus an additional award amount. In addition, the bill moves the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant program into the Pell Grant program. Next, the bill raises from 12 to 18 the total number of semesters during which a student may receive a Pell Grant. The bill makes Dreamer students (i.e., students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status) who entered the United States before the age of 18 and who meet certain educational criteria eligible for federal financial aid. The bill also revises satisfactory academic progress requirements for federal student-aid programs, including by allowing a student who has not been enrolled in an institution of higher education for two years to regain eligibility for federal student aid.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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

Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · 95 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), André Carson (D-IN), Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Deborah K. Ross (D-NC), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Grace Meng (D-NY), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and 35 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] reported raising $1.0 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

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr3946.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr3946 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117