[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2462 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2462

 To provide additional assistance to recipients of Federal Pell Grants 
    who are pursuing programs of study in engineering, mathematics, 
                     science, or foreign languages.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 20, 2004

  Mr. Warner (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Allen) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide additional assistance to recipients of Federal Pell Grants 
    who are pursuing programs of study in engineering, mathematics, 
                     science, or foreign languages.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century Federal Pell Grant Plus 
Act''.

SEC. 2. RECIPIENTS OF FEDERAL PELL GRANTS WHO ARE PURSUING PROGRAMS OF 
              STUDY IN ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, OR FOREIGN 
              LANGUAGES.

    Section 401(b)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070a(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(C)(i) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A) and subject to clause 
(iii), in the case of a student who is eligible under this part and who 
is pursuing a degree with a major in, or a certificate or program of 
study relating to, engineering, mathematics, science (such as physics, 
chemistry, or computer science), or a foreign language, described in a 
list developed or updated under clause (ii), the amount of the Federal 
Pell Grant shall be the amount calculated for the student under 
subparagraph (A) for the academic year involved, multiplied by 2.
    ``(ii)(I) The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Defense, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the 
Director of the National Science Foundation, shall develop, update not 
less than once every 2 years, and publish in the Federal Register, a 
list of engineering, mathematics, and science degrees, majors, 
certificates, or programs that if pursued by a student, may enable the 
student to receive the increased Federal Pell Grant amount under clause 
(i). In developing and updating the list the Secretaries and Director 
shall consider the following:
            ``(aa) The current engineering, mathematics, and science 
        needs of the United States with respect to national security, 
        homeland security, and economic security.
            ``(bb) Whether institutions of higher education in the 
        United States are currently producing enough graduates with 
        degrees to meet the national security, homeland security, and 
        economic security needs of the United States.
            ``(cc) The future expected workforce needs of the United 
        States required to help ensure the Nation's national security, 
        homeland security, and economic security.
            ``(dd) Whether institutions of higher education in the 
        United States are expected to produce enough graduates with 
        degrees to meet the future national security, homeland 
        security, and economic security needs of the United States.
    ``(II) The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Defense, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the 
Secretary of State, shall develop, update not less than once every 2 
years, and publish in the Federal Register, a list of foreign language 
degrees, majors, certificates, or programs that if pursued by a 
student, may enable the student to receive the increased Federal Pell 
Grant amount under clause (i). In developing and updating the list the 
Secretaries shall consider the following:
            ``(aa) The foreign language needs of the United States with 
        respect to national security, homeland security, and economic 
        security.
            ``(bb) Whether institutions of higher education in the 
        United States are currently producing enough graduates with 
        degrees to meet the national security, homeland security, and 
        economic security needs of the United States.
            ``(cc) The future expected workforce needs of the United 
        States required to help ensure the Nation's national security, 
        homeland security, and economic security.
            ``(dd) Whether institutions of higher education in the 
        United States are expected to produce enough graduates with 
        degrees to meet the future national security, homeland 
        security, and economic security needs of the United States.
    ``(iii) Each student who received an increased Federal Pell Grant 
amount under clause (i) to pursue a degree, major, certificate, or 
program described in a list published under subclause (I) or (II) of 
clause (ii) shall continue to be eligible for the increased Federal 
Pell Grant amount in subsequent academic years if the degree, major, 
certificate, or program, respectively, is subsequently removed from the 
list.
    ``(iv)(I) If a student who received an increased Federal Pell Grant 
amount under clause (i) changes the student's course of study to a 
degree, major, certificate, or program that is not included in a list 
described in clause (ii), then the Secretary shall reduce the amount of 
Federal Pell Grant assistance the student is eligible to receive under 
this section for subsequent academic years by an amount equal to the 
difference between the total amount the student received under this 
subparagraph and the total amount the student would have received under 
this section if this subparagraph had not been applied.
    ``(II) The Secretary shall reduce the amount of Federal Pell Grant 
assistance the student is eligible to receive in subsequent academic 
years by dividing the total amount to be reduced under subclause (I) 
for the student by the number of years the student received an 
increased Federal Pell Grant amount under clause (i), and deducting the 
result from the amount of Federal Pell Grant assistance the student is 
eligible to receive under this section for a number of subsequent 
academic years equal to the number of academic years the student 
received an increased Federal Pell Grant amount under clause (i).''.
                                 <all>