PRIA Logo™
119-hr-10451119th CongressWALLET

Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act

Sponsored By: Representative Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a federal program to provide rapid, means‑tested emergency cash grants to college students. It would authorize the Education Secretary to fund eligible colleges to give targeted aid that helps students stay enrolled during financial emergencies and to set uniform reporting rules.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.

Emergency college grants and protections

If enacted, the Department of Education would create a federal program that gives colleges money to make emergency grants to enrolled students. The program would be authorized for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 with "such sums as may be necessary" subject to future appropriations. A student's awards could not exceed the maximum Federal Pell Grant for that academic year and could not be larger than the student's cost of attendance. These emergency grants would not count as taxable income and would not be treated as income, assets, or estimated aid when computing other federal student aid or determining eligibility for most public benefits. The bill would also define who counts as eligible institutions and students and bar denying aid based on citizenship or immigration status.

Faster emergency grant access for students

If enacted, colleges that apply for program funds would have to describe eligibility, outreach, and how many grants they expect to make. The Department would do outreach at least 60 days before application deadlines and may prioritize community colleges, rural and under‑resourced campuses, and high‑Pell institutions. Schools would have to offer an online application, at least one appeal, acknowledge applications, and fund approved awards within 10 business days. Colleges that get funds would also file yearly reports to the Department showing applicants, recipients, award sizes, processing times, subgroup counts, and student outcomes.

Ban on using other federal agencies

If enacted, the bill would bar the Education Department from entering into agreements with or using other federal agencies to run, monitor, or support this emergency grant program. The ban would cover technical help, data sharing, enforcement, using other agencies' facilities, and procuring services related to administration and oversight.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25]

NY • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation