Kids Before Cons Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to limit waiver authority of the Department of Education (ED) under the Experimental Sites Initiative.

Specifically, it prohibits ED from waiving statutory provisions that ban Pell Grant eligibility and federal financial aid for incarcerated students (e.g., as part of an experimental initiative to allow incarcerated students to receive Pell Grants for postsecondary education opportunities). The legislation also prohibits ED from awarding funds to an institution of higher education for providing such postsecondary education to incarcerated individuals.

ED must conduct and make publicly available a study that compares incarceration rates of: (1) private or charter school students who receive vouchers, and (2) traditional public school students.