# 119-hr-9414: Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2026

119-hr-9414, Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9414
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9414
- Congress: 119
- Title: Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI)
- Cosponsors: 54
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Make the Pell Grant mandatory and inflation‑adjusted.** This bill would lock in larger, predictable Pell awards on a set schedule and expand who can receive them while folding program changes into the Higher Education Act. - Students and families: Sets a multi‑year schedule that raises the total maximum Pell Grant to $10,000 for 2026–27 and to $15,000 by 2031–32, with increases after 2031 tied to the Consumer Price Index. - Dreamer and low‑income students: Adds a new Dreamer student category to eligibility and gives special treatment to means‑tested benefit recipients by treating their Student Aid Index (SAI) as -$1,500 for award calculations. Students with a negative SAI could receive extra grant money equal to the absolute value of that negative. - Colleges and academic progress: Overhauls Satisfactory Academic Progress rules so institutions review progress each payment period, issue warnings and create documented probation and appeals paths, cap eligibility resets at 2, and restore Pell eligibility to 18 full semesters.

## Cosponsors (54)

- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large] (D-PR), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mannion, John W. [D-NY-22] (D-NY), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mrvan, Frank J. [D-IN-1] (D-IN), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1] (D-NJ), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (D-IL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37] (D-TX), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] (D-OR), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7] (D-VA), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2026-07-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] (D-CO), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pallone, Frank [D-NJ-6] (D-NJ), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA), 2026-08-31T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Bigger Pell Grants and set asides: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would set the maximum Pell Grant each award year: $10,000 for 2026-27, $11,000 for 2027-28, $12,000 for 2028-29, $13,000 for 2029-30, $14,000 for 2030-31, and $15,000 for 2031-32. After 2031-32, the $15,000 amount would be increased each year by the Consumer Price Index and rou…
- Count unpaid periods toward loan discharge: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would allow certain qualifying time periods to count toward a loan discharge even when you did not take a Title IV loan during that time. In other words, a period when you had no Title IV loan could still count toward discharge if, had you taken a loan then, that loan would hav…
- Extra Pell when SAI is negative: benefit, medium. If enacted, students with a Student Aid Index (SAI) below zero would get extra Pell equal to how far below zero their SAI is. If the applicant (or applicant and spouse or applicant's parents, as applicable) received a means-tested Federal benefit in the prior two years, the Secretary would treat th…
- Pell Grants for Dreamer students: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a new "Dreamer student" Pell eligibility category for certain non-U.S. citizens or non-nationals who are inadmissible or deportable under the Immigration and Nationality Act. If you entered the U.S. under age 18, you would qualify only if you meet one of the listed…
- Cut 10 percent share to 5 percent: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would change a statutory percentage in subsection (a)(2)(F) from 10 percent to 5 percent starting for award year 2026-2027. That change would likely reduce the share of funds available to the program or component governed by that subsection. The effective date would be July 1,…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2763: American Family Act
- 119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9414 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9414)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-2763: American Family Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2763)
- [119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-17)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9414 (as of 2026-10-17).