Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Kaine Introduces Bill To Help Higher Education Institutions Access Federal Funding To Support Students

Press Release

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Coronavirus Relief Flexibility for Students and Institutions Act to fix several implementation issues with the higher education emergency relief fund in the CARES Act by providing institutions of higher education and students with the increased flexibility Congress intended. This bill would make an additional 7.5 million students eligible for emergency financial aid and allow institutions of higher education to use CARES Act funds to cover revenue losses incurred as a result of COVID-19. It would also ensure that colleges hardest hit by COVID-19 are receiving the support they need. Kaine will push for this legislation to be passed by the Senate as quickly as possible.

"In this difficult time, colleges desperately need the flexibility to best serve their students. This bill will help ensure that Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education follow Congress' intent to stabilize our institutions of higher education that are hurting from COVID-19 and provide emergency financial aid for the students who need it, not just those that who have met bureaucratic requirements," Kaine said.

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