,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dac ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #aj1 #bjag,mrs4 ,lawrence introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to establish an ,early ,federal ,pell ,grant ,commitment ,program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,early ,pell ,promise ,act4 #b4 ,early ,federal ,pell ,grant commitment program ,subpart #a of part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #dja;,b4 ,early ,federal ,pell ,grant commitment program 7a7 ,program authority ,the ,secretary is authorized to carry out an ,early ,federal ,pell ,grant ,commitment ,program 7referred to in this section as the ,program7 under which the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 award grants to ,state educational agencies to pay the administrative expenses incurred in participating in the ,program2 and 7#b7 make a commitment to award ,federal ,pell ,grants to eligible students in accordance with this section4 7b7 ,program requirements ,the ,program shall meet the following requirements3 7#a7 ,eligible students 7,a7 ,in general ,a student shall be eligible to receive a commitment from the ,secretary to receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant early in the student's academic career if the student-- 7i7 is in #hth grade2 and 7ii7 is eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea et seq474 7#b7 ,federal ,pell ,grant commitment 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 each eligible student who participates in the ,program shall receive a commitment from the ,secretary to receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant during the first #b academic years that the student is in attendance at an institution of higher education as an undergraduate student1 if the student-- 7i7 applies for ,federal financial aid 7via the ,,fafsa7 during the student's senior year of secondary school and during the succeeding academic year2 and 7ii7 enrolls at such institution of higher education-- 7,i7 not later than #c years after such student receives a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent2 or 7,,ii7 if such student becomes a member of the ,armed ,forces 7including the ,national ,guard or ,reserves71 not later than #c years after such student is discharged1 separated1 or released from the ,armed ,forces 7including the ,national ,guard or ,reserves74 7,b7 ,exception to commitment ,if an eligible student receives a commitment from the ,secretary to receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant during the first #b academic years that the student is in attendance at an institution of higher education as an undergraduate student and the student applies for ,federal financial aid 7via the ,,fafsa7 during the student's senior year of secondary school or during the succeeding academic year1 and the expected family contribution of the student for either of such years is more than #b times the threshold amount for ,federal ,pell ,grant eligibility for such year1 then such student shall not receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant under this section for the succeeding academic year4 ,such student shall continue to be eligible for any other ,federal student financial aid for which the student is otherwise eligible4 7#c7 ,applicability of ,federal ,pell ,grant requirements ,the requirements of section #dja shall apply to ,federal ,pell ,grants awarded pursuant to this section1 except that with respect to each eligible student who participates in the ,program and is not subject to the exception under paragraph 7#b77;,b71 the amount of each such eligible student's ,federal ,pell ,grant only shall be calculated by deeming such student to have an expected family contribution equal to zero4 7c7 ,state educational agency applications 7#a7 ,in general ,each ,state educational agency desiring to participate in the ,program shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time and in such manner as the ,secretary may require4 7#b7 ,contents ,each application shall include-- 7,a7 a description of the proposed targeted information campaign for the ,program and a copy of the plan described in subsection 7e77#b72 7,b7 an assurance that the ,state educational agency will fully cooperate with the ongoing evaluation of the ,program2 and 7,c7 such other information as the ,secretary may require4 7d7 ,evaluation 7#a7 ,in general ,from amounts appropriated under subsection 7f7 for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall reserve not more than #a1jjj1jjj to award a grant or contract to an organization outside the ,department for an independent evaluation of the impact of the ,program4 7#b7 ,competitive basis ,the grant or contract shall be awarded on a competitive basis4 7#c7 ,matters evaluated ,the evaluation described in this subsection shall consider metrics established by the ,secretary that emphasize college access and success1 encouraging low-income students to pursue higher education1 and the cost effectiveness of the program4 7#d7 ,dissemination ,the findings of the evaluation shall be widely disseminated to the public by the organization conducting the evaluation as well as by the ,secretary4 7e7 ,targeted information campaign 7#a7 ,in general ,each ,state educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall1 in cooperation with the participating local educational agencies within the ,state and the ,secretary1 develop a targeted information campaign for the ,program4 7#b7 ,plan ,each ,state educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall include in the application submitted under subsection 7c7 a written plan for their proposed targeted information campaign4 ,the plan shall include the following3 7,a7 ,outreach ,outreach to students and their families1 at a minimum1 at the beginning and end of each academic year4 7,b7 ,distribution ,how the ,state educational agency plans to provide the outreach described in subparagraph 7,a7 and to provide the information described in subparagraph 7,c74 7,c7 ,information ,the annual provision by the ,state educational agency to all students and families participating in the ,program of information regarding-- 7i7 the estimated statewide average higher education institution cost data for each academic year1 which cost data shall be disaggregated by-- 7,i7 type of institution1 including-- 7aa7 #b-year public colleges2 7bb7 #d-year public colleges2 7cc7 #d-year private colleges2 and 7dd7 private1 for-profit colleges2 and 7,,ii7 component1 including-- 7aa7 tuition and fees2 and 7bb7 room and board2 7ii7 ,federal ,pell ,grants1 including-- 7,i7 the maximum ,federal ,pell ,grant for each academic year2 7,,ii7 when and how to apply for a ,federal ,pell ,grant2 and 7,,iii7 what the application process for a ,federal ,pell ,grant requires2 7iii7 ,state-specific college savings programs2 7iv7 ,state-based financial aid1 including ,state-based merit aid2 and 7v7 ,federal financial aid available to students1 including eligibility criteria for the ,federal financial aid and an explanation of the ,federal financial aid programs4 7#c7 ,annual information ,the information described in paragraph 7#b77;,c7 shall be provided to eligible students annually for the duration of the students' participation in the ,program4 7#d7 ,reservation ,each ,state educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall reserve #bjj1jjj of the grant funds received each fiscal year to carry out the targeted information campaign described in this subsection4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary4 4