Dupage Policy Journal

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in introducing the Pell Grant Restoration Act of 2015 on Wednesday.

“In spite of the warning signs, the federal government did not step in soon enough to prevent Pell Grant funding from being wasted on the failed Corinthian Colleges system,” Durbin said. "It is only fair that the students who were misled into failing programs have their Pell Grant eligibility restored. We shouldn’t be punishing students for the bad actions of for-profit college CEOs.”

Currently, the Higher Education Act does not reset the clock on a student’s eligibility for Pell Grants, and students may not have enough Pell Grant eligibility left to complete a program at another school. The Pell Restoration Act will restore Pell Grant eligibility for students who attended an institution of higher education that closed due to certain violations.

“We must crack down on the predatory practices of unscrupulous for-profit colleges that hurt students and put taxpayers at risk,” Boxer said. “We must also ensure that students are not penalized for the deceptive behavior of these bad actors. The Pell Restoration Act will give students a chance to start over by restoring their access to critical financial aid.”

Also joining the members in supporting the act were U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), and U.S. Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Janice Hahn (D-CA), along with 42 other members of Congress.