(Excerpts from The American Council on Education (ACE)

• As ACE President Ted Mitchell said in a statement last week on the release of the draft text, the legislation represents a major step toward providing greater access to an affordable, high-quality college education for millions of low- and middle-income students.
• ACE and 33 other higher education organizations sent a letter to the committee in advance of the vote expressing the community's views on the bill and suggestions for revision as it moves through the process.
• The four main higher education proposals in the measure are a $500 increase for Pell Grants for 2021-22—which would bring the maximum award to $6,995—and for each award year through 2029-30; a federal-state partnership to provide free community college tuition and subsidize two years of tuition at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and other minority serving institutions (MSIs); $9 billion to help states and institutions improve college retention and completion; and an additional $3.45 billion for HBCUs and other MSIs.
• The bill also includes language that would make current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients eligible for federal student aid. ACE and a number other associations sent a letter last month to congressional leadership again urging them to act on this important issue, and provide certainty for Dreamers.