A dozen Republican governors sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate committee tasked with reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA) last week, urging them to expand Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students and students in short-term training programs.
The letter — spearheaded by Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana — was signed by Doug Ducey of Arizona, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Matt Bevin of Kentucky, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Phil Bryant of Mississippi, Mike Parson of Missouri, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Mark Gordon of Wyoming.
In addition to allowing prisoners and those in short-term programs to access Pell Grants, the governors urged Sens. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA) to expand Pell eligibility to students in dual enrollment and adult education programs.
“While many states have dedicated state resources to targeted populations to build their workforce capacity, expanding Pell eligibility would greatly expand those programs nationwide,” the governors wrote.