To provide the Secretary of Education with waiver authority for students who are eligible for Federal Pell Grants and are adversely affected by a natural disaster.

September 7, 2005

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

To provide the Secretary of Education with waiver authority for students who are eligible for Federal Pell Grants and are adversely affected by a natural disaster.

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 `Federal 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--

`(i) by students--

`(I) who were residing in, employed in, or attending an institution of higher education that is located in an area that is designated by the President to warrant major disaster assistance under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170); and

`(II) whose attendance was interrupted because of the impact of the disaster on the student or the institution; and

`(ii) that end within the academic year during which the designation occurred or during the next succeeding academic year.'.

END