Schatz Reintroduces Bill to Repeal Pell Ban

Senator Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, reintroduced legislation Tuesday that would repeal a quarter-century ban on access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students.

Schatz first introduced the bill, dubbed the Restoring Education and Learning or REAL Act, last year. In the meantime, a Republican co-sponsor, Utah senator Mike Lee, signed on to the bill. Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, is also a co-sponsor of the legislation.

Representative Danny Davis, an Illinois Democrat, introduced companion legislation in the House. Co-sponsors include Representative Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican; Representative Barbara Lee, a California Democrat; and Representative French Hill, an Arkansas Republican.

Nearly 70 groups issued endorsements of the legislation, including the American Bar Association, the Council on Christian Colleges and Universities, the NAACP, and FreedomWorks.