[109th Congress Public Law 66]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


[DOCID: f:publ066.109]

[[Page 119 STAT. 1999]]

Public Law 109-66
109th Congress

                                 An Act


 
To provide the Secretary of Education with waiver authority for students 
who are eligible for Pell Grants who are adversely affected by a natural 
           disaster. <<NOTE: Sept. 21, 2005 -  [H.R. 3169]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress <<NOTE: Pell Grant Hurricane and 
Disaster Relief Act.>> assembled,

SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 20 USC 1001 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pell Grant Hurricane and Disaster 
Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. WAIVERS OF FEDERAL PELL GRANT REPAYMENT BY STUDENTS AFFECTED BY 
            DISASTERS.

    Section 484B(b)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1091b(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
                    ``(D) Waivers of federal pell grant repayment by 
                students affected by disasters.--The Secretary may waive 
                the amounts that students are required to return under 
                this section with respect to Federal Pell Grants if the 
                withdrawals on which the returns are based are 
                withdrawals by students--
                          ``(i) who were residing in, employed in, or 
                      attending an institution of higher education that 
                      is located in an area in which the President has 
                      declared that a major disaster exists, in 
                      accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. 
                      Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
                      Act (42 U.S.C. 5170);
                          ``(ii) whose attendance was interrupted 
                      because of the impact of the disaster on the 
                      student or the institution; and

[[Page 119 STAT. 2000]]

                          ``(iii) whose withdrawal ended within the 
                      academic year during which the designation 
                      occurred or during the next succeeding academic 
                      year.''.

    Approved September 21, 2005.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 3169:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 151 (2005):
            Sept. 7, considered and passed House.
            Sept. 15, considered and passed Senate.

                                  <all>