(NAFB.com) – Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa joined Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado in introducing bipartisan legislation protecting farm families’ access to higher education. The Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act would amend the FAFSA Simplification Act to restore the original exemption of non-liquid, farm, and small business assets when determining a family’s FAFSA eligibility. “Farm assets can’t be cashed out in the same way traditional investments can,” Grassley said. “Last Congress, I worked with the Department of Education to ensure the FAFSA asset test is only applied to investment farms, not family farms.” Ernst added that no one should have to sell their farm or small business to afford college. “As a farm kid, I know the enormous impacts grants and financial aid have on rural students’ decisions to go to college,” Ernst said. “We’re fighting for farm families, so unfair policies don’t hold them back.”