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Donnelly: Ensure Children Of Fallen First Responders Have Access to Maximum Pell Grant For College Education

Last updated on Friday, May 15, 2015

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly helped to introduce the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act, bipartisan legislation that would help ease the financial burden of a college education for the children of fallen first responders by ensuring they have full access to federal Pell Grant opportunities.

"Our first responders--law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS workers--put their lives on the line to keep our families and communities safe, and some make the ultimate sacrifice," Donnelly said. "We must do all we can to help the families of our fallen first responders, and this should include ensuring that their children can get a good education. I hope the Senate will act soon and pass the bipartisan Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act because it would ensure the children of fallen first responders who pursue a college education have access to the maximum level of the Pell Grant."

The Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act would allow the child of a fallen first responder who qualifies for a federal Pell Grant to be eligible for the maximum Pell Grant award. Pell Grants are awarded based on factors including: a student's financial need and how much each student/family is able to pay toward a college education, a student's status as a full-time or part-time student, as well as whether the student has plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.

In 2013, more than 200 first responders were killed in the line of duty, including law enforcement, firefighters, EMS workers, and fire police. That number increased to nearly 220 line of duty deaths in 2014, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, Officer Down Memorial Page, and National EMS Memorial Service.

Through existing law, children whose parent or guardian served in the Armed Forces and died as a result of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, may be eligible for a maximum Pell Grant. Eligible students may qualify for the maximum award if they were younger than 24 years old at the time of a parent or guardian's death or were enrolled in college or career school at least part-time. The Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act would similarly extend opportunity for the children of fallen first responders.

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