118th Congress Education
S. 2266: Strengthening American Communities Act of 2023
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- Passed House (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill provides funding and establishes grant programs to expand access to higher education, including by providing free community college to students. The bill also establishes the National Public Service Education Grant program and revises the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
Specifically, the bill establishes a program to waive resident tuition and fees for community college students. The Department of Education (ED) must award grants to states and Indian tribes to pay the federal share (75% of the average resident community college tuition and fees per student) of the program.
Next, the bill directs ED to award grants to states and Indian tribes for implementing evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative practices to improve student outcomes.
Read the full summary
Additionally, ED must award grants to participating historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions to waive or significantly reduce the first 60 credits of tuition and fees for low-income students.
The bill directs ED to establish grant programs to pay the costs of an undergraduate education for students who commit to working for at least three years in public service jobs upon graduation.
Finally, the bill revises the PSLF program to provide for partial loan cancellation based on the length of public service employment. Specifically, ED must cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on Federal Direct Loans made after the bill's enactment.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Who scored on this bill
No member has earned points from it yet.
See all scorers and every scoring event
Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.
Other bills by Benjamin Cardin
- S. 3544: To designate the visitor and education center at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine as the "Paul S. Sarbanes Visitor and Education Center"
- S. 5019: United States Representative Elijah E. Cummings Post Office Building (Baltimore, MD)
- S. 3854: International Freedom Protection Act
- S. 924: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission Extension Act
- S. 1381: Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023
- S. 2212: SBIC Advisory Committee Act of 2023
History
- Introduced in the Senate by Benjamin Cardin.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in Senate
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.