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GRC News
Federal Updates
U.S. Department of Education
October 29, 2019 – The Department published a notice in the Federal Register announcing a modification of the system of records entitled “Federal Student Aid Application File.”
The Department published a notice in the Federal Register proposing a revision of the 2019-20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20). The request is to conduct the 11th cycle in the NPSAS series during the 2019-20 academic year.
The Department published a notice in the Federal Register proposing an extension of the Application for Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment Form information collection system. The Department requests approval of this extension without change of the Application for Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment form (“Universal Borrower Defense Form”) to ensure that all borrowers have a consistent platform to petition for relief, and to facilitate the Department's receipt of clear and complete information necessary to process applications efficiently.
December 2, 2019 – The Federal Student Aid’s New Financial Aid Administrators Pre-Conference Training will take place on December 2, 2019 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.
December 13, 2019 – Deadline for every organization enrolled for a Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) account to review and validate its assigned TG numbers and Electronic Services user accounts.
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
H.R. 4876 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a work-based learning opportunities pilot grant program.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 10/28/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) 1 Cosponsor
H.R. 4869 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove all adverse credit history related to a loan from the credit history of a borrower who has rehabilitated the loan.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 10/28/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK) 0 Cosponsor
H.R. 4866 – To amend the 21st Century Cures Act to provide for designation of institutions of higher education that provide research, data, and leadership on continuous manufacturing as National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 10/28/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) 1 Cosponsor
H.R. 4852 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make available to veterans certain additional information about postsecondary educational institutions, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 10/23/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) 0 Cosponsor
H.R. 4851 – To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to carry out a State workforce incentive program.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 10/23/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-CA) 2 Cosponsors
H.R. 4826 – To award career pathways innovation grants to local educational agencies and consortia of local educational agencies, to provide technical assistance within the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education to administer the grants and support the local educational agencies with the preparation of grant applications and management of grant funds, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support community college and industry partnerships, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the Senate HELP Committee, 10/23/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) 0 Cosponsors
H.R. 4787 – To amend title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to increase the amount of financial support available for working students.
a. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor, 10/22/19
b. Sponsor: Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) 0 Cosponsors
S. 2719 – A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the knowledge and skills of principals and school leaders regarding early childhood education.
c. Status: Referred to the Senate HELP Committee, 10/28/19
d. Sponsor: Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) 2 Cosponsors
S. 2711 – A bill to require institutions of higher education to disclose hazing-related misconduct, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the Senate HELP Committee, 10/24/19
b. Sponsor: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) 1 Cosponsor
S. 2670 – 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act
a. Status: Referred to the Senate HELP Committee, 10/23/19
b. Sponsor: Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) 1 Cosponsor
S. 2667 – A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make it easier to apply for Federal student aid, to make that aid predictable, to amend the Federal Pell Grant program, and for other purposes.
a. Status: Referred to the Senate HELP Committee, 10/22/19
b. Sponsor: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) 1 Cosponsor
S. 2655 – A bill to amend title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 in order to increase the amount of financial support available for working students.
a. Status: Referred to the Senate HELP Committee, 10/22/19
b. Sponsor: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) 5 Cosponsors
State Updates
Texas’ Advisory Board on Barbering to Discuss Possible Hour Reduction
Texas’ Advisory Board on Barbering will be meeting on Monday, November 4, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. (CST). The agenda for the meeting includes discussion of a possible hour reduction for barbering to maintain alignment with cosmetology programs. As previously reported, Texas’ legislature passed a bill (HB 2847) earlier this year reducing the course of instruction for cosmetology from 1,500 to 1,000 hours. Additional information can be found at the links below.
Please do not hesitate to contact Brian Newman at bnewman@abingdonstrategies.com or by phone at 202-491-5254 with comments or questions.
