240,000 students. 

That is how many students have been deceived or defrauded by failed for-profit colleges and appealed to the federal government to have their student loan debt forgiven. According to the Department of Education, over 1,000 of these students live in Connecticut.

Under federal law, the Department of Education can grant relief for federal student loan repayment, but cannot restore Pell Grant eligibility for students who were the victims of predatory for-profit colleges.  

That means we are omitting Connecticut's most vulnerable students from our solution to the damages inflicted by for-profit colleges. Pell Grant eligible students - who have exceptional financial need and are disproportionately first-generation and students of color - are getting scammed by for-profit colleges and provided no recourse from the Department of Education. This has to change. 

I introduced the Pell Grant Restoration Act to fix this injustice. 

My bill would amend current law to restore a student's Pell Grant eligibility for any period of time for which they would have qualified for student loan forgiveness due to school closure or institutional fraud and misconduct. The Department of Education has a duty to ensure that students have the opportunity to continue to pursue their degree when have been taken advantage of by predatory higher education institutions.

Thank you for caring about our students' future. To keep up with my work on behalf of students and Connecticut's Fifth District, sign up for my updates here!

Image

Image

Image

Image

 

Follow me on social media for daily updates about my work in Congress!