Senator Chris Van Hollen introduces S. 5626: Higher Education Grant Flexibility Act of 2026

We have received text from S. 5626: Higher Education Grant Flexibility Act of 2026. This bill was received on 2026-09-30, and currently has 6 cosponsors.

Here is a short summary of the bill:

This bill would change how certain federal student aid programs treat students with disabilities who are approved for a reduced course load as a reasonable accommodation.

What changes for students

Under current rules, students taking fewer credits may be treated as less than full-time, which can affect the amount of aid they receive. This bill would require schools to treat an eligible student with a disability who has an approved reduced course load as full-time for certain federal aid calculations, as long as the student is taking at least 5 credits (or the equivalent), whichever is greater.

Programs affected

• Federal Pell Grants: A qualifying student would be treated as full-time when calculating the grant amount. The bill also says one existing Pell Grant rule tied to a specific cost-of-attendance adjustment would not apply to these students.

• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG): The same full-time treatment would apply when calculating the student’s grant amount.

• TEACH Grants: The same full-time treatment would apply when calculating the student’s grant amount.

Who would qualify

The bill applies only to a student or teacher candidate with a disability, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, who has been approved for a reduced course load as a reasonable accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or the ADA.

Limits on the change

The bill says this special full-time treatment would be used for figuring out grant amounts, but not for calculating Pell Grant semester eligibility under a separate rule.

Effective date

The bill would take effect as though it had been included in prior FAFSA simplification legislation, subject to the effective dates already set in related law.

Relevant Companies

None found.

Senator Chris Van Hollen Bill Proposals

Here are some bills which have recently been proposed by Senator Chris Van Hollen:

• S.5626: Higher Education Grant Flexibility Act of 2026
• S.5570: Ready to Work Act of 2026
• S.5489: Sickle Cell Care Expansion Act of 2026
• S.5488: Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Centers Act of 2026
• S.5405: Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act of 2026
• S.5399: No New Fencing At the White House Act

You can track bills proposed by Senator Chris Van Hollen on Investivoq's politician page for Van Hollen.

Senator Chris Van Hollen Stock Trading

We have data on up to $175.0K of trades from Senator Chris Van Hollen, which we parsed from STOCK Act filings. Some of the largest trades include:

• A February 17th, 2017 sale of up to $50K of $PEP. The stock has risen 14.41% since then.
• A February 17th, 2017 sale of up to $50K of $GE. The stock has risen 100.58% since then.
• A February 17th, 2017 sale of up to $15K of $VZ. The stock has fallen 6.95% since then.
• A February 17th, 2017 sale of up to $15K of $T. The stock has fallen 41.01% since then.
• A February 17th, 2017 sale of up to $15K of $JNJ. The stock has risen 117.44% since then.

You can track Senator Chris Van Hollen's stock trading on Investivoq's politician page for Van Hollen.

2028 District of Columbia US Senate Election

There has been approximately $0 of spending in District of Columbia US Senate elections over the last two years, per our estimates.

You can track this election on our matchup page for the 2028 District of Columbia US Senate election.

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