Federal Updates
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U.S. Department of Education
September 17, 2019 – The Department produced a Q&A document that describes how State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and State VR agencies may coordinate to assist students and youth with disabilities, including students and youth with intellectual disabilities, in preparing for postsecondary success. The document reinforces the appropriate use of funds under the IDEA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
September 19, 2019 – The Department published a notice in the Federal Register requesting to extend the information collection tied to the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program regulations issued under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). These final regulations are a result of negotiated rulemaking and will rescind the requirements of the current regulations in paragraphs (e), (f), (g), and (h)
September 20, 2019 – The Department posted the 2019 Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals Session Titles, Descriptions, and Agenda.
September 23, 2019 – The Department establishes new Institutional Accountability regulations governing the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program to revise a Federal standard and a process for adjudicating borrower defenses to repayment claims for Federal student loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2020, and provide for actions the Secretary may take to collect from schools the amount of financial loss due to successful borrower defense to repayment loan discharges. These regulations are effective July 1, 2020.
The Department distributed the FY 2016 official cohort rate (CDR) notification packages to all eligible domestic and foreign schools only. The rates will be publicly released on September 25, 2019.
September 30, 2019 – Deadline for electronically transmitting Pell Grant and Ira and Afghanistan Service Grant records for the 2018-2019 Award Year to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System- see - read more here
Processing deadline to submit TEACH Grant award and disbursement records is 9 p.m. ET. However, for actual disbursements to generate the appropriate funding level increase in G5 prior to the scheduled G5 shutdown, they must be received, and subsequently accepted, by the COD System no later than 8 a.m. ET on Monday, September 30, 2019. Schools should plan final closeout efforts accordingly - read more here
October 1, 2019 – Deadline for schools to submit 2020–21 FISAP electronically and mail in the required signature page - read more here
Deadline for institutions, that did not choose to early implement the rescission of the GE rule, to report GE data for the 2018-2019 Award Year to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) - read more here
Looking Ahead – 2019 FSA Training Conference - The Federal Student Aid Office has opened registration for the 2019 FSA Training Conference scheduled for December 3 to 6 in Reno, Nevada. The FSA Training Conference is training provided for financial aid professionals by the government for those institutions receiving Title IV funds and is the largest training program in the United States serving the financial aid community. In 2018 more than 2,000 unique schools registered for the conference. Registration is free.
U.S. Congress – Newly Introduced Legislation of Note
S. 2523- A bill to amend section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to allow adjunct faculty members to qualify for public service loan forgiveness.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/20/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Richard Durbin (D-IL) 3 Cosponsors
S. 2498- A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to clarify the Federal Pell Grant duration limits of borrowers who attend an institution of higher education that closes or commits fraud or other misconduct, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/18/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) 3 Cosponsors
H.R. 4430- To direct the Secretary of Education to assign a unique numeric identifier to institutions of higher education to facilitate data collection and reporting, and for other purposes.
c. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/20/19
d. Sponsor: Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) 0 Cosponsors
H.R. 4424- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 so that every student has a path to a quality, debt-free degree or credential that leads to a rewarding career, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/20/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Gregorio Sablan (D-MP) 0 Cosponsors
H.R. 4423- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to enhance teacher and school leader quality partnership grants.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/19/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Harley Rouda (D-CA) 4 Cosponsors
H.R. 4414- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to lower the cost of college education by establishing pilot programs to expand student access to digital course materials.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/19/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) 2 Cosponsors
H.R. 4396- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove the record of default on a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV from a borrower's credit history upon repayment of the full amount due on such loan.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/19/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL) 1 Cosponsor
H.R. 4395- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the removal of the record of default from credit history upon obtaining a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan that discharges the defaulted loan.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/19/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) 1 Cosponsor
H.R. 4391- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modernize and improve the public service loan forgiveness program, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/18/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) 7 Cosponsors
H.R. 4389- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide additional amounts of loan forgiveness to teachers of English learners, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/18/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. James Langevin (D-RI) 2 Cosponsors
H.R. 4380- To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to clarify requirements for disclosure of transfer of credit policies.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/18/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) 1 Cosponsor
H.R. 4372- To direct Federal science agencies and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to undertake activities to improve the quality of undergraduate STEM education and enhance the research capacity at the Nation's HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/18/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) 1 Cosponsor
H.R. 4371- To authorize funding to strengthen investments in the Nation's postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) programs and build connections across the entire education and workforce development system.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/18/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) 3 Cosponsors
H.R. 4343- FACT Act of 2019
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/17/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA) 2 Cosponsors
H.R. 4342- Reducing Extra Teaching Authentication Impacting New Teachers Act
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 9/17/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-IA) 3 Cosponsors
