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119-hr-7689119th CongressWALLET

Earl N. Williams, Sr., First Chance Act

Sponsored By: Representative Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would create a program of basic and emergency supplemental living assistance grants inside the Student Support Services Program to help students cover planned and unexpected living costs while completing their first bachelor's degree.

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  • Students: Eligible participants in a campus Student Support Services Program could receive a basic grant for reasonable, anticipated costs to complete their first undergraduate baccalaureate year and an emergency grant for unexpected expenses that threaten college persistence.
  • Amounts and limits: Institutions set grant amounts and how funds are split, but emergency grants are capped at $500 for 2027–2028 and then rise each year with the Consumer Price Index.
  • Allowed uses: Grants may cover any cost-of-attendance component, higher-than-expected dependent care or transportation costs, and personal items not otherwise covered by the cost of attendance.
  • Program rules and funding: Grants must supplement, not replace, nonfederal student support funds and institutions must consult their financial aid office when awarding grants. Not more than 2 percent of funds awarded under this section may be used for these grants, and when allocations under section 402A(g) exceed 2027 levels no more than 2 percent of that excess may be made available for them.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Basic and emergency grants for students

If enacted, this bill would let colleges that run Student Support Services (SSS) give two small cash grants to current SSS participants. One grant would cover expected living costs to finish a student's first bachelor's academic year. The other would cover unplanned emergency costs needed to stay in school that year. For academic year 2027–2028, the emergency grant per student would be capped at $500. In later years, that cap would rise by the Education Department's estimated annual change in the Consumer Price Index. Schools would set how much each eligible student gets and how funds are split, but must allocate some money to both grants. Schools could use up to 2% of their SSS (Section 402D) funds for these grants, must consult their financial aid office when making awards, and must use these funds to supplement (not replace) non-Federal student support spending. Grants could pay any part of a student's cost of attendance, extra dependent care or transportation beyond standard allowances, and other personal items. These grants would not count in Title IV need calculations, except that total Title IV aid for a year could not exceed a student's cost of attendance by more than that year's emergency grant cap.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]

IL • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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