SenateS. 5626119th Congress
Higher Education Grant Flexibility Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5626 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5626
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to change certain grant
requirements for certain students with disabilities, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 30, 2026
Mr. Van Hollen (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hirono,
Mr. Booker, Mr. Padilla, and Mr. Lujan) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to change certain grant
requirements for certain students with disabilities, and for other
purposes.
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 ``Higher Education Grant Flexibility
Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FEDERAL PELL GRANTS.
Section 401(b)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1070a(b)(2)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``In any case'' and inserting the
following:
``(A) Reduction.--Except as provided in
subparagraph (B), in any case''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Students with disabilities.--
``(i) In general.--In the case of a student
with a disability (as defined in section 3 of
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 12102)) for whom a reduced course load
has been approved as a reasonable accommodation
under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) or the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et
seq.), the student's enrollment in the reduced
course load or 5 credits (or the equivalent),
whichever is greater, shall be deemed to be
enrollment on a full-time basis for purposes of
calculating the elements of cost of attendance
for such student under paragraphs (2) through
(14) of section 472(a) for purposes of
determining the amount of the Federal Pell
Grant to which the student is entitled.
Subsection (b) of section 472 shall not apply
with respect to such student.
``(ii) Limited application.--A
determination under clause (i) shall not be
used in the calculation of Federal Pell Grant
semester eligibility under subsection
(d)(5).''.
SEC. 3. FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY GRANTS.
Section 413B(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1070b-1(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subpart or part F
of this title, in the case of a student with a disability (as defined
in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
12102)) for whom a reduced course load has been approved as a
reasonable accommodation under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), the student's enrollment in the reduced course
load or 5 credits (or the equivalent), whichever is greater, shall be
deemed to be enrollment on a full-time basis for purposes of
calculating the elements of cost of attendance for such student under
paragraphs (2) through (14) of section 472(a) for purposes of
determining the amount of the supplemental grant to which the student
is entitled in accordance with the provisions of part F of this title.
Subsection (b) of section 472 shall not apply with respect to such
student.''.
SEC. 4. TEACH GRANTS.
Section 420M(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1070g-1(c)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``In any case'' and
inserting ``Subject to paragraph (3), in any case''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Teacher candidates with a disability.--In the case of
a teacher candidate with a disability (as defined in section 3
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
12102)) for whom a reduced course load has been approved as a
reasonable accommodation under section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) or the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), the
teacher candidate's enrollment in the reduced course load or 5
credits (or the equivalent), whichever is greater, shall be
deemed to be enrollment on a full-time basis for purposes of
calculating the elements of cost of attendance for such student
under paragraphs (2) through (14) of section 472(a) for
purposes of determining the amount of the grant under this
subpart to which the teacher candidate is entitled. Subsection
(b) of section 472 shall not apply with respect to such teacher
candidate.''.
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this section shall take effect as if
included in section 703 of division FF of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) and subject to the
effective date of section 701(b) of such FAFSA Simplification Act, as
amended by section 102(a) of the FAFSA Simplification Act Technical
Corrections Act (division R of Public Law 117-103) (including the
authorization provided under section 102(c)(1)(A) of such Act).
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