II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 789 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the financial aid 

process for homeless and foster care youth. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 13, 2019 

Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Mr. PORTMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve 

the financial aid process for homeless and foster care youth. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Higher Education Ac5 cess and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 (a) INDEPENDENT STUDENT.—Section 480(d)(1)(H) 

8 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

9 1087vv(d)(1)(H)) is amended— 

10 (1) in the matter preceding clause (i)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘during the school year in 

2 which the application is submitted’’; 

3 (B) by inserting ‘‘age 23 or younger’’ after 

4 ‘‘unaccompanied youth’’; and 

5 (C) by striking ‘‘terms are’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘term is’’; 

7 (2) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, or a designee 

8 of the liaison’’ after ‘‘Act’’; 

9 (3) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘a program fund10 ed under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘an emergency or transitional shelter, 

12 street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in 

13 center, or other program serving homeless youth,’’; 

14 and 

15 (4) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘program funded 

16 under subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento 

17 Homeless Assistance Act (relating to emergency 

18 shelter grants)’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal TRIO pro19 gram or a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness 

20 for Undergraduate program under chapter 1 or 2 of 

21 subpart 2 of part A,’’. 

22 (b) FOSTER CARE YOUTH.—Section 103 of the High23 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003) is amended 

24 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(25) FOSTER CARE YOUTH.—The term ‘foster 

2 care youth’— 

3 ‘‘(A) means children and youth whose care 

4 and placement are the responsibility of the 

5 State or Tribal agency that administers a State 

6 or Tribal plan under part B or E of title IV of 

7 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. 

8 and 670 et seq.), without regard to whether fos9 ter care maintenance payments are made under 

10 section 472 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 672) on be11 half of such children and youth; and 

12 ‘‘(B) includes individuals who were age 13 

13 or older when their care and placement were 

14 the responsibility of a State or Tribal agency 

15 that administered a State or Tribal plan under 

16 part B or E of title IV of the Social Security 

17 Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et seq.) 

18 and who are no longer under the care and re19 sponsibility of such a State or Tribal agency, 

20 without regard to any such individual’s subse21 quent adoption, guardianship arrangement, or 

22 other form of permanency outcome.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. STREAMLINING DETERMINATIONS AND VERIFICA2 TION. 

3 Section 480(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

4 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d)) is amended by adding at the end 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(3) SIMPLIFYING THE DETERMINATION PROC7 ESS FOR UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH.— 

8 ‘‘(A) VERIFICATION.—A financial aid ad9 ministrator shall accept a determination of 

10 independence made by any individual author11 ized to make such determinations under clause 

12 (i), (ii), or (iii) of paragraph (1)(H) in the ab13 sence of conflicting information. A documented 

14 phone call with, or a written statement from, 

15 one of the authorized individuals is sufficient 

16 verification when needed. For purposes of this 

17 paragraph, a financial aid administrator’s dis18 agreement with the determination made by an 

19 authorized individual shall not be considered 

20 conflicting information. 

21 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATION OF INDEPEND22 ENCE.—A financial aid administrator shall 

23 make a determination of independence under 

24 paragraph (1)(H) if a student does not have, 

25 and cannot get, documentation from any of the 


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1 other designated authorities described in such 

2 paragraph. Such a determination shall be— 

3 ‘‘(i) based on the definitions outlined 

4 in paragraph (1)(H); 

5 ‘‘(ii) distinct from a determination of 

6 independence under paragraph (1)(I); 

7 ‘‘(iii) based on a documented inter8 view with the student; and 

9 ‘‘(iv) limited to whether the student 

10 meets the definitions in paragraph (1)(H) 

11 and not about the reasons for the student’s 

12 homelessness. 

13 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL STREAMLINING PER14 MITTED.—Nothing in this paragraph prohibits 

15 an institution from implementing polices that— 

16 ‘‘(i) streamline the determination of 

17 independence under paragraph (1)(H); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) improve a student’s access to fi19 nancial aid because that student is an un20 accompanied youth. 

21 ‘‘(4) SIMPLIFYING THE VERIFICATION PROCESS

22 FOR FOSTER CARE YOUTH.— 

23 ‘‘(A) VERIFICATION OF INDEPENDENCE.— 

24 If an institution requires documentation to 

25 verify that a student is independent based on a 


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1 status described in paragraph (1)(B), a finan2 cial aid administrator shall consider any of the 

3 following as adequate verification: 

4 ‘‘(i) Submission of a court order or of5 ficial State documentation that the student 

6 received Federal or State support in foster 

7 care. 

8 ‘‘(ii) A documented phone call with, 

9 written statement from, or verifiable elec10 tronic data match with— 

11 ‘‘(I) a child welfare agency au12 thorized by a State or county; 

13 ‘‘(II) a Tribal child welfare au14 thority; 

15 ‘‘(III) an Independent Living 

16 case worker; 

17 ‘‘(IV) a public or private foster 

18 care placing agency or foster care fa19 cility or placement; 

20 ‘‘(V) another program serving or21 phans, foster care youth, or wards of 

22 the court; or 

23 ‘‘(VI) a probation officer. 

24 ‘‘(iii) A documented phone call with, 

25 or a written statement from, an attorney, 


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1 a guardian ad litem, or a Court Appointed 

2 Special Advocate, documenting that per3 son’s relationship to the student. 

4 ‘‘(iv) A documented phone call with, 

5 or a written statement from, a representa6 tive of a Federal TRIO program or a 

7 Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness 

8 for Undergraduate program under chapter 

9 1 or 2 of subpart 2 of part A. 

10 ‘‘(v) Verification of the student’s eligi11 bility for an education and training vouch12 er under the John H. Chafee Foster Care 

13 Independence Program (42 U.S.C. 677). 

14 ‘‘(vi) Submission of a copy of the stu15 dent’s biological or adoptive parents’ or 

16 legal guardians’— 

17 ‘‘(I) Certificates of Death; or 

18 ‘‘(II) verifiable obituaries. 

19 ‘‘(vii) An attestation from the student, 

20 which includes a description of why the 

21 student may qualify for a status described 

22 in paragraph (1)(B), including the approxi23 mate dates that the student was in foster 

24 care, dependent, or a ward of the court, to 

25 the best of the student’s knowledge after 


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1 making reasonable efforts to provide any 

2 requested documentation. 

3 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL STREAMLINING PER4 MITTED.—Nothing in this paragraph prohibits 

5 an institution from implementing policies that 

6 streamline the determination of independent 

7 status and improve a student’s access to finan8 cial aid because that student is an orphan, in 

9 foster care, or a ward of the court, or was an 

10 orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the court 

11 at any time when the student was 13 years of 

12 age or older. 

13 ‘‘(5) TIMING; USE OF EARLIER DETERMINA14 TION.— 

15 ‘‘(A) TIMING.—A determination under 

16 subparagraph (B) or (H) of paragraph (1) for 

17 a student— 

18 ‘‘(i) shall be made as quickly as prac19 ticable; 

20 ‘‘(ii) may be made as early as the year 

21 before the award year for which the stu22 dent initially submits an application; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) shall be made no later than dur24 ing the award year for which the student 

25 initially submits an application. 


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1 ‘‘(B) USE OF EARLIER DETERMINATION.— 

2 Any student who is determined to be inde3 pendent under subparagraph (B) or (H) of 

4 paragraph (1) for a preceding award year at an 

5 institution shall be presumed to be independent 

6 for each subsequent award year at the same in7 stitution unless— 

8 ‘‘(i) the student informs the institu9 tion that circumstances have changed; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) the institution has specific con11 flicting information about the student’s 

12 independence, and has informed the stu13 dent of this information and the oppor14 tunity to challenge such information 

15 through a documented interview or an im16 partial review by the Student Loan Om17 budsman pursuant to section 141(f)(3)(C). 

18 ‘‘(6) RETENTION OF DOCUMENTS.—A financial 

19 aid administrator shall retain all documents related 

20 to the determination of independence under subpara21 graph (B) or (H) of paragraph (1), including docu22 mented interviews, for the duration of the student’s 

23 enrollment at the institution and for a minimum of 

24 1 year after the student is no longer enrolled at the 

25 institution.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. STUDENT LOAN OMBUDSMAN. 

2 Section 141(f)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 

3 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1018(f)(3)) is amended— 

4 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

5 after the semicolon; 

6 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period 

7 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(C) receive, review, and resolve expedi10 tiously complaints regarding a student’s inde11 pendence under subparagraph (B) or (H) of 

12 section 480(d)(1), in consultation with knowl13 edgeable parties, including child welfare agen14 cies, local educational agency liaisons for home15 less individuals designated under section 

16 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Home17 less Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

18 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)), or State Coordinators for 

19 Education of Homeless Children and Youth es20 tablished in accordance with section 722 of 

21 such Act (42 U.S.C. 11432).’’. 

22 SEC. 5. HOUSING AND DESIGNATION OF LIAISONS. 

23 (a) ACCESS TO HOUSING.—Section 487(a)(19) of the 

24 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(19)) 

25 is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘The institution will not’’ and 

2 inserting the following: ‘‘The institution— 

3 ‘‘(A) will not’’; 

4 (2) inserting ‘‘housing facilities,’’ after ‘‘librar5 ies,’’; 

6 (3) by striking ‘‘institution.’’ and inserting ‘‘in7 stitution; and’’; and 

8 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(B) will provide a means for students to 

10 access institutionally owned or operated housing 

11 if a student is temporarily unable to meet fi12 nancial obligations related to housing, including 

13 deposits, due to delayed disbursement of vouch14 ers for education and training made available 

15 under section 477 of part E of title IV of the 

16 Social Security Act or delays attributable to the 

17 institution.’’. 

18 (b) LIAISON.—Section 485 of the Higher Education 

19 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092) is amended by adding at 

20 the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(n) Each institution of higher education partici22 pating in any program under this title shall— 

23 ‘‘(1) have designated an appropriate staff per24 son as a liaison to assist homeless individuals de25 scribed in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento 


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1 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a) and 

2 foster care youth in accessing and completing post3 secondary education, including by ensuring that such 

4 homeless individuals and foster care youth are con5 nected to applicable and available student support 

6 services, programs, and community resources in 

7 areas such as financial aid, academic advising, hous8 ing, food, public benefits, health care, health insur9 ance, mental health, child care, transportation bene10 fits, and mentoring; 

11 ‘‘(2) post public notice about student financial 

12 assistance and other assistance available to such 

13 homeless individuals and foster care youth, including 

14 their eligibility as independent students under sub15 paragraphs (B) and (H) of sections 480(d)(1); 

16 ‘‘(3) give priority for any institutionally owned 

17 or operated housing facilities, including student 

18 housing facilities that remain open for occupation 

19 during school breaks or on a year-round basis, to— 

20 ‘‘(A) homeless individuals described in sec21 tion 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless As22 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a); 

23 ‘‘(B) youth who are unaccompanied, at 

24 risk of homelessness, and self-supporting; and 

25 ‘‘(C) foster care youth; 


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1 ‘‘(4) have developed a plan for how such home2 less individuals, youth who are unaccompanied, at 

3 risk of homelessness, and self-supporting, and foster 

4 care youth can access housing resources during and 

5 between academic terms, through means that may 

6 include access to institutionally owned or operated 

7 housing during breaks and a list of housing re8 sources in the community that provide short-term 

9 housing; and 

10 ‘‘(5) include, in its application for admission, 

11 questions (to be answered voluntarily) regarding the 

12 applicant’s status as a homeless individual or foster 

13 care youth, that— 

14 ‘‘(A) can be answered by the applicant vol15 untarily for the limited purpose of being pro16 vided information about financial aid or any 

17 other available assistance; 

18 ‘‘(B) explain the key terms in the question 

19 in a manner children and youth can understand 

20 in order to self-identify and declare eligibility as 

21 a homeless individual or foster care youth; and 

22 ‘‘(C) with consent of the applicant, may be 

23 shared with the liaison after admission but 

24 prior to the beginning of the next academic 

25 term.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS. 

2 Section 402A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

3 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (c)(6), by striking the last 

5 sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘The Secretary 

6 shall require each applicant for funds under the pro7 grams authorized by this chapter to identify and 

8 conduct outreach to foster care youth and homeless 

9 individuals described in section 725 of the McKin10 ney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

11 11434a), and make available to foster care youth 

12 and homeless individuals services under such pro13 grams, including mentoring, tutoring, and other 

14 services provided by such programs.’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (f)(2), by striking ‘‘college 

16 students, and’’ and inserting ‘‘college students, fos17 ter care youth, homeless individuals, and’’. 

18 SEC. 7. TALENT SEARCH. 

19 Section 402B(d) of the Higher Education Act of 

20 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–12(d)) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

22 the semicolon; 

23 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 

24 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

25 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(5) require an assurance that the entity car2 rying out the project has reviewed and revised poli3 cies and practices as needed to remove barriers to 

4 the participation and retention in the project of 

5 homeless individuals described in section 725 of the 

6 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 11434a), including unaccompanied youth, 

8 and foster care youth; 

9 ‘‘(6) require that such entity submit, as part of 

10 the application for the project, a description of the 

11 activities that will be undertaken to reach out to 

12 such homeless individuals and foster care youth as 

13 part of the project; and 

14 ‘‘(7) require an assurance that such entity will 

15 prepare and submit the report required under sec16 tion 402H(e) at the conclusion of the project regard17 ing such homeless individuals and foster care 

18 youth.’’. 

19 SEC. 8. UPWARD BOUND. 

20 Section 402C(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

21 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–13(e)) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

23 the semicolon; 

24 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at 

25 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(6) require an assurance that the entity car3 rying out the project has reviewed and revised poli4 cies and practices as needed to remove barriers to 

5 the participation and retention in the project of 

6 homeless individuals described in section 725 of the 

7 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

8 U.S.C. 11434a), including unaccompanied youth, 

9 and foster care youth; 

10 ‘‘(7) require that such entity submit, as part of 

11 the application, a description of the activities that 

12 will be undertaken to reach out to such homeless in13 dividuals and foster care youth regarding the 

14 project; and 

15 ‘‘(8) require an assurance that such entity will 

16 prepare and submit the report required under sec17 tion 402H(e) at the conclusion of the project regard18 ing such homeless individuals and foster care 

19 youth.’’. 

20 SEC. 9. STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES. 

21 Section 402D(e) of the Higher Education Act of 

22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–14(e)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

24 the semicolon; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (6)(B), by striking the period 

2 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(7) require an assurance that the entity car5 rying out the project has reviewed and revised poli6 cies and practices as needed to remove barriers to 

7 the participation and retention in the project of 

8 homeless individuals described in section 725 of the 

9 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

10 U.S.C. 11434a), including unaccompanied youth, 

11 and foster care youth; 

12 ‘‘(8) require that such entity submit, in the ap13 plication for the project, a description of the activi14 ties that will be undertaken to reach out to such 

15 homeless individuals, and foster care youth, who are 

16 enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the institu17 tion; and 

18 ‘‘(9) require an assurance that such entity will 

19 prepare and submit the report required under sec20 tion 402H(e) at the conclusion of the project regard21 ing such homeless individuals and foster care 

22 youth.’’. 

23 SEC. 10. EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY CENTERS. 

24 Section 402F(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

25 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–16(c)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

2 the semicolon; 

3 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

4 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(5) require an assurance that the entity car7 rying out the project has reviewed and revised poli8 cies and practices as needed to remove barriers to 

9 the participation and retention in the project of 

10 homeless individuals described in section 725 of the 

11 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 11434a), including unaccompanied youth, 

13 and foster care youth; 

14 ‘‘(6) require that such entity submit, as part of 

15 the application, a description of the activities that 

16 will be undertaken to reach out to such homeless in17 dividuals and foster care youth regarding the 

18 project; and 

19 ‘‘(7) require an assurance that such entity will 

20 prepare and submit the report required under sec21 tion 402H(e) at the conclusion of the project regard22 ing such homeless individuals and foster care 

23 youth.’’. 


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1 SEC. 11. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS. 

2 Section 402H of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

3 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–18) is amended by adding at the end 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(e) REPORT REGARDING HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS

6 AND FOSTER CARE YOUTH.—Each entity carrying out a 

7 project under section 402B, 402C, 402D, or 402F shall, 

8 at the conclusion of the project, prepare and submit a re9 port to the Secretary that includes— 

10 ‘‘(1) data on the number of homeless individ11 uals described in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento 

12 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a) and 

13 foster care youth served through the project; and 

14 ‘‘(2) a description of any strategies or program 

15 enhancements that were used in the project and that 

16 were effective in meeting the needs of such homeless 

17 individuals and foster care youth.’’. 

18 SEC. 12. GAINING EARLY AWARENESS AND READINESS FOR 

19 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS. 

20 Section 404C(a)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 

21 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–23(a)(2))— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

23 the semicolon; 

24 (2) in subparagraph (J), by striking the period 

25 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

26 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(K) describe how the eligible entity will 

2 facilitate the participation of foster care youth 

3 and homeless individuals described in section 

4 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist5 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a), including— 

6 ‘‘(i) how the eligible entity will iden7 tify foster care youth and such homeless 

8 individuals, in collaboration with child wel9 fare agencies, homeless shelters, and local 

10 educational agency liaisons for homeless 

11 individuals designated under section 

12 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento 

13 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)); 

15 ‘‘(ii) how the eligible entity will collect 

16 and submit to the Secretary data on the 

17 number of such homeless individuals and 

18 foster care youth served; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) the policies and practices the eli20 gible entity will adopt to remove barriers to 

21 the participation of such homeless individ22 uals and foster care youth, including poli23 cies to facilitate continued participation de24 spite changes in residence resulting from 

25 homelessness or foster care placement and 


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1 policies consistent with the McKinney2 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 11301 et seq.).’’. 

4 SEC. 13. GRANT FOR FEDERAL WORK-STUDY PROGRAMS. 

5 Section 443(b)(6) of the Higher Education Act of 

6 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087–53(b)(6)) is amended by inserting 

7 ‘‘, and prioritize employment for students who are cur8 rently or formerly homeless individuals described in sec9 tion 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 

10 (42 U.S.C. 11434a) or foster care youth’’ after ‘‘thereof’’. 

11 SEC. 14. EXCLUDABLE INCOME. 

12 Section 480(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

13 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(e)) is amended by striking paragraph 

14 (5) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(5) payments made and services provided 

16 under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

17 to or on behalf of any child or youth over whom the 

18 State agency has responsibility for placement, care, 

19 or supervision, including the value of vouchers for 

20 education and training and amounts expended for 

21 room and board for youth who are not in foster care 

22 but are receiving services under section 477 of such 

23 Act; and’’. 


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1 SEC. 15. CONSOLIDATING QUESTIONS REGARDING HOME2 LESS STATUS ON THE FAFSA. 

3 Section 483(a)(4) of the Higher Education Act of 

4 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(4)) is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘(C) SINGLE QUESTION REGARDING

7 HOMELESS STATUS.—The Secretary shall en8 sure that, on each form developed under this 

9 section for which the information is applicable, 

10 there is a single, easily understood screening 

11 question to identify an applicant for aid who 

12 is— 

13 ‘‘(i) an unaccompanied homeless child 

14 or youth (as such term is defined in sec15 tion 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 

16 Assistance Act); or 

17 ‘‘(ii) an unaccompanied youth who is 

18 self-supporting and at risk of homeless19 ness.’’. 

20 SEC. 16. DATA TRANSPARENCY ON THE NUMBER OF FINAN21 CIAL AID APPLICANTS. 

22 Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

23 U.S.C. 1090) is amended by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 

25 ‘‘(i) DATA TRANSPARENCY ON THE NUMBER OF AP26 PLICANTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall annu2 ally publish data on the number of individuals who 

3 apply for Federal student aid pursuant to this sec4 tion who are homeless individuals described in sec5 tion 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist6 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a), including unaccom7 panied youth, and foster care youth. 

8 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The data described in para9 graph (1) with respect to homeless individuals shall 

10 include, at a minimum, for each application cycle— 

11 ‘‘(A) the total number of all applicants 

12 who were determined to be (or to be at risk of 

13 becoming) unaccompanied homeless youth, 

14 under section 480(d)(1)(H); 

15 ‘‘(B) the number of applicants described in 

16 subparagraph (A), disaggregated— 

17 ‘‘(i) by State; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) by the sources of determination 

19 as described in clauses (i) through (iv) of 

20 section 480(d)(1)(H); and 

21 ‘‘(C) the number of undetermined requests 

22 for homelessness consideration, including 

23 statuses that remain unknown because no de24 termination had been made in response to the 

25 applicant’s request for the institution to conVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:13 Mar 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S789.IS S789

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1 sider the applicant’s special circumstance of 

2 being homeless.’’. 

3 SEC. 17. IN-STATE TUITION RATES FOR HOMELESS YOUTH 

4 AND FOSTER CARE YOUTH. 

5 Section 135 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

6 U.S.C. 1015d) is amended— 

7 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘, 

8 HOMELESS YOUTH, AND FOSTER CARE YOUTH’’ 

9 after ‘‘CHILDREN’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.—In 

12 the case’’ and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) ARMED FORCES.—In the case’’; and 

15 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(2) HOMELESS YOUTH AND FOSTER CARE

17 YOUTH.—In the case of a homeless youth or a foster 

18 care youth, such State shall not charge such indi19 vidual tuition for attendance at a public institution 

20 of higher education in the State at a rate that is 

21 greater than the rate charged for residents of the 

22 State.’’; and 

23 (3) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and in24 serting the following: 

25 ‘‘(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ARMED FORCES.—With respect to an indi2 vidual described in subsection (a)(1), this section 

3 shall take effect at each public institution of higher 

4 education in a State that receives assistance under 

5 this Act for the first period of enrollment at such in6 stitution that begins after July 1, 2009. 

7 ‘‘(2) HOMELESS YOUTH AND FOSTER CARE

8 YOUTH.—With respect to an individual described in 

9 subsection (a)(2), this section shall take effect at 

10 each public institution of higher education in a State 

11 that receives assistance under this Act for the first 

12 period of enrollment at such institution that begins 

13 during the first full award year following the date of 

14 enactment of the Higher Education Access and Suc15 cess for Homeless and Foster Youth Act. 

16 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 ‘‘(1) ARMED FORCES.—The terms ‘armed 

18 forces’ and ‘active duty for a period of more than 30 

19 days’ have the meanings given those terms in section 

20 101 of title 10, United States Code. 

21 ‘‘(2) HOMELESS YOUTH.—The term ‘homeless 

22 youth’ has the meaning given the term ‘homeless 

23 children and youths’ in section 725 of the McKin24 ney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

25 11434a).’’. 


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1 SEC. 18. SECRETARIAL SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE FOR 

2 HOMELESS YOUTH AND FOSTER CARE 

3 YOUTH. 

4 Part B of title I (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amended 

5 by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 124. SECRETARIAL SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE FOR 

7 HOMELESS YOUTH AND FOSTER CARE 

8 YOUTH. 

9 ‘‘(a) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 120 days after the 

10 date of enactment of the Higher Education Access and 

11 Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act, the Secretary 

12 shall issue revised guidance for institutions and financial 

13 aid administrators regarding serving unaccompanied 

14 homeless individuals described in section 725 of the 

15 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and individuals 

16 who are former foster care youth. 

17 ‘‘(b) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—Beginning not 

18 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Higher 

19 Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster 

20 Youth Act, the Secretary shall conduct an annual profes21 sional development or training program, such as a 

22 webinar, for liaisons described under section 485(n) and 

23 interested faculty or staff regarding postsecondary edu24 cation services for such homeless individuals and foster 

25 care youth. 


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1 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

2 of enactment of the Higher Education Access and Success 

3 for Homeless and Foster Youth Act, and not less than 

4 once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare 

5 and submit to Congress a report containing strategies 

6 used by institutions, financial aid administrators, and liai7 sons described under section 485(n) that were effective in 

8 meeting the needs of such homeless individuals and foster 

9 care youth, including strategies relating to streamlining 

10 financial aid policies and procedures and postsecondary 

11 education recruitment, retention, and completion.’’. 

Æ 


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