![](media/image1.jpeg){width="6.489583333333333in"
height="1.15625in"}**Legislative
Bulletin...........................................December 5, 2007**

> **Contents:**
>
> **S. 2371**---A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make
> technical corrections

S. 2371 --- A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make
technical corrections *(Kennedy, D-MA)*

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: S. 2371 is scheduled to be
considered on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 under a motion to suspend the
rules and pass the bill.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: S. 2371 makes technical corrections to the
Higher Education Act of 1965.

S. 2371 determines that the definition for untaxed income and benefits
shall not include: the amount of additional child tax credit claimed for
federal income tax purposes; welfare benefits, including assistance
under a state program aiding dependent children; amount of earned income
credit claimed for federal income tax purposes; amount of credit for
federal tax on special fuels claimed for federal income tax purposes;
the amount of foreign income excluded for purposes of federal income
taxes; or untaxed Social Security benefits.

S. 2371 includes a provision regarding income-based repayment for
married borrowers filing separately, stating that in the case of a
married borrower who files separately, the Secretary shall calculate the
amount of the borrower's income-based repayment based solely on the
borrower's student loan debt and adjusted gross income.

S. 2371 also makes technical changes to the Teach Grant program. S. 2371
ensures that the same financial standard is applied to institutions that
participate in this program as are applied to institutions that are
eligible to participate in the Title IV programs. S. 2371 makes
clarifications to ensure that the Department of Education is able to
address over-awards with Teach grants in the same manner as they address
over-awards in other grant programs. In addition, clarifies that a
student is able to receive one grant per year.

**[Background]{.underline}**: All of these provisions (plus a few
others) were passed by the House prior to the Thanksgiving recess ([H.R.
4153](http://www.congress.gov/cgi-lis/bdquery), the College Cost
Reduction and Access Act Technical Amendments of 2007).  The Senate
stripped the provisions down to two provisions and sent it back.
According to the House Education and Labor Committee, the Department of
Education is requesting that the third provision be added and sent back
to the Senate for their approval.

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: S. 2371 was introduced on November
15, 2007 and was passed unanimously by the Senate on the same day.

**[Cost to Taxpayers]{.underline}**: No CBO estimate was available at
press time.

**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}**: No.

**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}**: No.

**[Does the Bill Comply with House Rules Regarding Earmarks/Limited Tax
Benefits/Limited Tariff Benefits?]{.underline}**: No Committee Report is
available.

**[Constitutional Authority]{.underline}**: No Committee Report is
available.

**[RSC Staff Contact]{.underline}**: Sarah Makin;
<sarah.makin@mail.house.gov>; 202-226-0718.