Nonpartisan civic infrastructure
AllCiv·Legis1
·

S. 5146

BillFederalSenateIn Committee
A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the financial aid process for homeless and foster care youth.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · July 28, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Congress
119th (2025–2027)
Introduced
July 28, 2026
Cosponsors (0)
None
View PDF ↗

Summary

Highlight any text to annotate
This bill improves college access and financial aid for homeless and foster youth by making several key changes to federal higher education law. Colleges must now designate a staff liaison to help these students access housing, financial aid, academic support, and community resources like mental health care and food assistance. The bill also requires colleges to give priority for on-campus housing to homeless and foster youth, provide temporary housing access during breaks, and ask applicants voluntary questions about their housing status during admission. Additionally, the legislation extends existing federal education support programs like TRIO and work-study to specifically serve homeless and foster youth, requires states to charge these students in-state tuition rates at public colleges, and directs the Department of Education to issue guidance and conduct annual training for college staff serving these populations. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026, with in-state tuition protections beginning in the first full award year after that date.

Take Action

Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.