{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://loebsack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395045", "Year-Round Pell Grant Eligibility for Students that Loebsack & Bustos Fought for Included in Todays Omnibus Legislation", "2017-05-03", "2017", "2017-05", "Democrat", "House", "IA", "Dave Loebsack", "L000565", "loebsack.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Dave Loebsack and\u00a0Congresswoman Cheri Bustos  today announced that the fiscal year 2017 Omnibus Bill, which is expected to be passed in the House today, provides year-round Pell Grant eligibility which was the focus of bipartisan legislation they introduced this year.\u201cAs someone who was only able to attend college with the help of student aid, I was proud to author the original year-round Pell legislation that gave students additional flexibility to get the education they deserve,\u201d said Congressman Dave Loebsack. \u201cRestoring funding for the year-round Pell program in the spending bill will help reduce barriers to higher education institutions, which has been my goal since introducing this legislation. This bill would help provide Iowa\u2019s students with the necessary training and resources required to be successful in the 21st century global economy.\u201d\u201cTo get ahead in the world, a lot of hardworking young men and women take classes in the spring, summer and fall semesters, but they can only take advantage of the Pell grant system for two of them. I thought that was wrong which is why I worked across the aisle to introduce legislation to fix this problem and I\u2019m especially proud that we were able to get language into today\u2019s funding bill that provides year round eligibility for Pell grants,\u201d said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. \u201cEvery American should have the opportunity to work hard and succeed. Making higher education more accessible and affordable is a critical part of achieving that goal.\u201dIn March, Reps. Loebsack and\u00a0Bustos  introduced the Flexible Pell Grant for 21st Century Students Act with lead co-sponsors Rep. Elise Stefanik and Rep. Carlos Curbelo. This legislation would enable students to receive Pell Grant assistance year round, whereas now students can only receive it for two semesters per year.The Federal Omnibus bill, which is expected to pass today, includes language to allow students to receive Pell Grants year round.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://loebsack.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395045"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0294700041413307, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}