The House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill to renew the Higher Education Act and make changes in a variety of programs from Pell Grants and student loans to those for minority-serving institutions.

The 380-49 vote sends the Higher Education Opportunity Act, H.R. 4137, to the full Senate for expected approval. Assuming a favorable Senate vote, the measure then will go to President Bush for his signature.

House and Senate negotiators met for months to resolve final details of the HEA reauthorization bill, which had stalled in Congress in recent years. But the final measure is drawing bipartisan support.

“It puts smart strategies in place to improve our student aid process, restore confidence in our student loan programs and provide more low-income, first-generation and minority students the chance to pursue a college education,” said Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Tex., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness.

For needy students, the bill would increase the maximum Pell Grant from $4,800 to $6,000 in 2009 and $8,000 by 2014, a House summary of the plan states. Low-income students also could receive Pell Grants on a year-round basis. Despite these provisions, Congress still would have to set annual appropriations to support these goals.

Another provision creates the Grants for Access and Persistence (GAP) program, a new matching grant program to help states increase their own need-based aid to students.

For minority-serving colleges and universities, the bill includes a much-discussed plan to provide new federal grants to address the digital divide at these institutions. The U.S. Department of Commerce would administer this program, said Edith Bartley, government affairs director at the United Negro College Fund.

While earlier versions of the bill had proposed $250 million annually for this initiative, the final agreement does not set a recommended funding level.