[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Tester, and Mr. 
        Scott, of South Carolina):
  S. 1851. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 
Federal Pell Grants to Iraq and Afghanistan veteran's dependents; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President. When a U.S. servicemember gives their life 
in service to their Nation, they often leave behind family who we are 
equally indebted to. Ensuring that these survivors are provided every 
opportunity to succeed and get a quality education supports our values 
and upholds our promise to servicemembers and military families. 
Unfortunately, our ability to uphold our promise to dependents of 
servicemembers who were killed in action (KIA) in Iraq and Afghanistan 
following the attacks on September 11, 2001 has been affected.
  As a result of sequestration, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) 
sent a letter to institutions requiring them to reduce the Iraq and 
Afghanistan Service Grant awards by about 6.2% or almost $400 per 
recipient for the 2018-2019 award year. These grants are critical for 
students to use for tuition, books, and room and board and any future 
cut would be significant for a young college student. Many children and 
dependents of servicemembers who were KIA in Iraq and Afghanistan are 
now reaching college age so more and more students will not be 
receiving as much in grants as they should be getting and rightfully 
deserve.
  Today, I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues Senator Lankford, 
Senator Tester, and Senator Scott (from South Carolina) a bipartisan 
bill called the Protecting our Gold Star Families' Act of 2019. This 
legislation will move the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant program to 
the Pell Grant program to stabilize the funding source for these awards 
and ensure Gold Star families have access to the maximum Pell Grant 
funding available if they previously did not qualify for Pell Grants. 
Additionally the bill would align eligibility requirements under 
existing Department of Veterans Affairs grants such as the Fry 
Scholarship with ED and the Iraq and Afghanistan Service program to 
ensure that all Gold Star families are receiving the award.
  While Virginia public universities already offer tuition assistance 
to dependents whose parents were killed in action or were permanently 
disabled under the state's Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents 
Education Program (VMSDEP), these funds could be used to offset tuition 
at private institutions and could also cover additional expenses, 
including room and board, books, and supplies. Over 500 Virginians have 
attended or are currently attending college at public universities with 
assistance through VMSDEP and would qualify for these Pell Grants as 
well.
  Our Gold Star families have made the ultimate sacrifice for this 
country. Helping them afford college is the least we can do. We should 
give our servicemembers a peace of mind that if anything happens to 
them, the nation they served will look out for their children and help 
them access a high-quality education. As more of our post 9/11 Gold 
Star children are starting to reach college age, now is the right time 
to improve the program. I hope that my colleagues will incorporate this 
bipartisan bill in a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
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