S. 1848 · 118th Congress
Debt-Free College Act of 2023
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
7 cosponsors · 7 D
6 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill establishes measures to cover the unmet financial need of students who are enrolled at certain institutions of higher education (IHEs). Unmet financial need refers to the difference between a student's cost of attendance and the student's student aid index, plus any federal, state, and local sources of grant aid.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Jun 7, 2023
Debt-Free College Act of 2023
This bill establishes measures to cover the unmet financial need of students who are enrolled at certain institutions of higher education (IHEs). Unmet financial need refers to the difference between a student's cost of attendance and the student's student aid index, plus any federal, state, and local sources of grant aid. In addition, the bill makes certain Dreamer students (i.e., students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status) eligible for federal financial aid.
First, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to award grants for state-federal partnerships with a goal of providing debt-free college for all eligible students at in-state public IHEs. Eligible student refers to an individual who (1) is enrolled or is eligible to enroll in an in-state public IHE, and (2) completes a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or demonstrates eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant through institutional financial-aid eligibility forms.
Next, the bill requires ED to award grants to historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions to cover the unmet financial need of enrolled students.
ED must establish an office to administer grants and provide oversight.
In addition, the bill makes Dreamer students who entered the United States before the age of 16 and who meet certain educational criteria eligible for federal student aid.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Debt-Free College Act of 2023
Latest action (Jun 7, 2023): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Policy area: Education · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Jun 7, 2023
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.