II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 939 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to simplify and improve the 

process of applying for student assistance, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 20, 2007 

Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. MURRAY, and Mr. 

SANDERS) 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 simplify 

and improve the process of applying for student assistance, and for other purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Financial Aid Form Simplification and Access Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Simplified needs test and automatic zero improvements. 

Sec. 3. Improving paper and electronic forms. 

Sec. 4. Support for working students. 


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Sec. 5. Simplification for students with special circumstances. 

Sec. 6. Definitions. 

Sec. 7. Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. 

1 SEC. 2. SIMPLIFIED NEEDS TEST AND AUTOMATIC ZERO IM2 PROVEMENTS. 

3 (a) SIMPLIFIED NEEDS TEST.—Section 479 of the 

4 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ss) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i)— 

8 (i) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

9 after the semicolon; 

10 (ii) by redesignating subclause (III) as 

11 subclause (IV); 

12 (iii) by inserting after subclause (II) 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘(III) 1 of whom is a dislocated 

15 worker; or’’; and 

16 (iv) in subclause (IV) (as redesignated 

17 by clause (ii)), by striking ‘‘12-month’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘24-month’’; and 

19 (B) in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

20 (i) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

21 after the semicolon; 

22 (ii) by redesignating subclause (III) as 

23 subclause (IV); 


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1 (iii) by inserting after subclause (II) 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(III) 1 of whom is a dislocated 

4 worker; or’’; and 

5 (iv) in subclause (IV) (as redesignated 

6 by clause (ii)), by striking ‘‘12-month’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘24-month’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (c)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

10 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

11 (I) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

12 after the semicolon; 

13 (II) by redesignating clause (iii) 

14 as clause (iv); 

15 (III) by inserting after clause (ii) 

16 the following: 

17 ‘‘(iii) 1 of whom is a dislocated work18 er; or’’; and 

19 (IV) in clause (iv) (as redesig20 nated by subclause (II)), by striking 

21 ‘‘12-month’’ and inserting ‘‘24- 

22 month’’; and 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

24 ‘‘20,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000’’; and 

25 (B) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

2 (I) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

3 after the semicolon; 

4 (II) by redesignating clause (iii) 

5 as clause (iv); 

6 (III) by inserting after clause (ii) 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(iii) is a dislocated worker; or’’; and 

9 (IV) in clause (iv) (as redesig10 nated by subclause (II)), by striking 

11 ‘‘12-month’’ and inserting ‘‘24- 

12 month’’; and 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

14 ‘‘$20,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,000’’; and 

15 (C) in the flush matter following para16 graph (2)(B), by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: ‘‘The Secretary shall annually adjust 

18 the income level necessary to qualify an appli19 cant for the zero expected family contribution. 

20 The income level shall be adjusted according to 

21 increases in the Consumer Price Index, as de22 fined in section 478(f).’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

2 through (6) as subparagraphs (A) through (F), 

3 respectively; 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘(d) DEFINITION’’ and all 

5 that follows through ‘‘the term’’ and inserting 

6 the following: 

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

8 ‘‘(1) DISLOCATED WORKER.—The term ‘dis9 located worker’ has the meaning given the term in 

10 section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 

11 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). 

12 ‘‘(2) MEANS-TESTED FEDERAL BENEFIT PRO13 GRAM.—The term’’. 

14 (b) DISCRETION OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID AD15 MINISTRATORS.—Section 479A(a) of the Higher Edu16 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087tt(a)) is amended in 

17 the third sentence by inserting ‘‘a family member who is 

18 a dislocated worker (as defined in section 101 of the 

19 Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801)),’’ 

20 after ‘‘recent unemployment of a family member,’’. 

21 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

22 (1) ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES.—The Secretary 

23 of Education shall regularly evaluate the impact of 

24 the eligibility guidelines in subsections (b)(1)(A)(i), 

25 (b)(1)(B)(i), (c)(1)(A), and (c)(2)(A) of section 479 


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

2 1087ss(b)(1)(A)(i), (b)(1)(B)(i), (c)(1)(A), and 

3 (c)(2)(A)). 

4 (2) MEANS-TESTED FEDERAL BENEFIT PRO5 GRAM.—The Secretary shall evaluate every 3 years 

6 the impact of including whether a student or parent 

7 received benefits under a means-tested Federal ben8 efit program (as defined in section 479(d) of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

10 1087ss(d)) as a factor in determining eligibility 

11 under subsections (b) and (c) of section 479 of the 

12 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ss(b) 

13 and (c)). 

14 SEC. 3. IMPROVING PAPER AND ELECTRONIC FORMS. 

15 (a) SIMPLIFIED NEEDS TEST.—Section 479(a) of the 

16 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ss(a)) is 

17 amended by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(3) SIMPLIFIED FORMS.—The Secretary shall 

19 make special efforts to notify families meeting the 

20 requirements of subsection (c) that such families 

21 may use the EZ FAFSA described in section 

22 483(a)(2)(B) and notify families meeting the re23 quirements of subsection (b) that such families may 

24 use the simplified electronic application form de25 scribed in section 483(a)(3)(B).’’. 


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1 (b) COMMON FINANCIAL AID FORM DEVELOPMENT

2 AND PROCESSING.—Section 483 of the Higher Education 

3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)— 

5 (A) by striking paragraphs (1), (2), and 

6 (5); 

7 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), 

8 (6), and (7), as paragraphs (8), (9), (10), and 

9 (11), respectively; 

10 (C) by inserting before paragraph (8), as 

11 redesignated by subparagraph (B), the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

14 ‘‘(A) COMMON FINANCIAL REPORTING

15 FORMS.—The Secretary, in cooperation with 

16 representatives of agencies and organizations 

17 involved in student financial assistance, shall 

18 produce, distribute, and process free of charge 

19 common financial reporting forms as described 

20 in this subsection to be used for application and 

21 reapplication to determine the need and eligi22 bility of a student for financial assistance under 

23 parts A through E (other than subpart 4 of 

24 part A). These forms shall be made available to 

25 applicants in both paper and electronic formats 


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1 and shall be referred to (except as otherwise 

2 provided in this subsection) as the ‘Free Appli3 cation for Federal Student Aid’ or ‘FAFSA’. 

4 ‘‘(B) EARLY ANALYSIS.—The Secretary 

5 shall permit an applicant to complete a form 

6 described in this subsection prior to enrollment 

7 in order to obtain an estimate from the Sec8 retary of the applicant’s expected family con9 tribution. Such applicant shall be permitted to 

10 update the information contained on a form 

11 submitted pursuant to the preceding sentence, 

12 using the process described in paragraph (4), 

13 for purposes of applying for assistance under 

14 this title for the first academic year for which 

15 the applicant applies for financial assistance 

16 under this title. 

17 ‘‘(2) PAPER FORMAT.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara19 graph (C), the Secretary shall produce, dis20 tribute, and process common forms in paper 

21 format to meet the requirements of paragraph 

22 (1). The Secretary shall develop a common 

23 paper form for applicants who do not meet the 

24 requirements of section 479(c). 

25 ‘‘(B) EZ FAFSA.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

2 shall develop and use a simplified paper 

3 application form, to be known as the ‘EZ 

4 FAFSA’, to be used for applicants meeting 

5 the requirements of section 479(c). 

6 ‘‘(ii) REDUCED DATA REQUIRE7 MENTS.—The EZ FAFSA shall permit an 

8 applicant to submit for financial assistance 

9 purposes, only the data elements required 

10 to make a determination of whether the 

11 applicant meets the requirements under 

12 section 479(c). 

13 ‘‘(iii) STATE DATA.—The Secretary 

14 shall include on the EZ FAFSA space for 

15 information that is required of an appli16 cant to be eligible for State financial as17 sistance, as provided under paragraph (5), 

18 except the Secretary shall not include a 

19 State’s data if that State does not permit 

20 its applicants for State assistance to use 

21 the EZ FAFSA. 

22 ‘‘(iv) FREE AVAILABILITY AND PROC23 ESSING.—The provisions of paragraph (6) 

24 shall apply to the EZ FAFSA, and the 

25 data collected by means of the EZ FAFSA 


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1 shall be available to institutions of higher 

2 education, guaranty agencies, and States 

3 in accordance with paragraph (8). 

4 ‘‘(v) TESTING.—The Secretary shall 

5 conduct appropriate field testing on the 

6 EZ FAFSA. 

7 ‘‘(C) PHASING OUT THE PAPER FORM FOR

8 STUDENTS WHO DO NOT MEET THE REQUIRE9 MENTS OF THE AUTOMATIC ZERO EXPECTED

10 FAMILY CONTRIBUTION.— 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

12 shall make all efforts to encourage all ap13 plicants to utilize the electronic forms de14 scribed in paragraph (3). 

15 ‘‘(ii) PHASEOUT OF FULL PAPER

16 FAFSA.—Not later than 5 years after the 

17 date of enactment of the Financial Aid 

18 Form Simplification and Access Act, to the 

19 extent practicable, the Secretary shall 

20 phaseout the printing of the full paper 

21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid 

22 described in subparagraph (A) and used by 

23 applicants who do not meet the require24 ments of the EZ FAFSA described in sub25 paragraph (B). 


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1 ‘‘(iii) AVAILABILITY OF FULL PAPER

2 FAFSA.— 

3 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Prior to and 

4 after the phaseout described in clause 

5 (ii), the Secretary shall maintain an 

6 online printable version of the paper 

7 forms described in subparagraphs (A) 

8 and (B). 

9 ‘‘(II) ACCESSIBILITY.—The on10 line printable version described in sub11 clause (I) shall be made easily acces12 sible and downloadable to students on 

13 the same website used to provide stu14 dents with the electronic application 

15 forms described in paragraph (3). 

16 ‘‘(III) SUBMISSION OF FORMS.— 

17 The Secretary shall enable, to the ex18 tent practicable, students to submit a 

19 form described in this clause that is 

20 downloaded and printed in order to 

21 meet the filing requirements of this 

22 section and to receive aid from pro23 grams established under this title. 

24 ‘‘(iv) USE OF SAVINGS TO ADDRESS

25 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.— 


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1 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Sec2 retary shall utilize savings accrued by 

3 phasing out the full paper Free Appli4 cation for Federal Student Aid and 

5 moving more applicants to the elec6 tronic forms, to improve access to the 

7 electronic forms for applicants meet8 ing the requirements of section 

9 479(c). 

10 ‘‘(II) REPORT.—The Secretary 

11 shall report annually to the Com12 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, 

13 and Pensions of the Senate and the 

14 Committee on Education and Labor 

15 of the House of Representatives on 

16 steps taken to eliminate the digital di17 vide and on the phaseout of the full 

18 paper Free Application for Federal 

19 Student Aid described in subpara20 graph (A). The report shall specifi21 cally address the impact of the digital 

22 divide on independent students, 

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1 tions described in this paragraph and 

2 paragraphs (3) and (4). 

3 ‘‘(3) ELECTRONIC FORMAT.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 

5 ‘‘(i) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary 

6 shall produce, distribute, and process com7 mon financial reporting forms in electronic 

8 format (such as through a website called 

9 ‘FAFSA on the Web’) to meet the require10 ments of paragraph (1). The Secretary 

11 shall include an electronic version of the 

12 EZ FAFSA form for applicants who meet 

13 the requirements of section 479(c) and de14 velop common electronic forms for appli15 cants who meet the requirements of section 

16 479(b) and common electronic forms for 

17 applicants who do not meet the require18 ments of section 479(b). 

19 ‘‘(ii) STATE DATA.—The Secretary 

20 shall include on the common electronic 

21 forms described in clause (i) space for in22 formation that is required of an applicant 

23 to be eligible for State financial assistance, 

24 as provided under paragraph (5). The Sec25 retary may not require an applicant to 


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1 complete data required by any State other 

2 than the applicant’s State of residence. 

3 ‘‘(iii) STREAMLINED FORMAT.—The 

4 Secretary shall use, to the fullest extent 

5 practicable, all available technology to en6 sure that a student answers only the min7 imum number of questions necessary. 

8 ‘‘(B) SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION.— 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

10 shall develop and use a simplified elec11 tronic application form to be used by appli12 cants meeting the requirements under sec13 tion 479(b). 

14 ‘‘(ii) REDUCED DATA REQUIRE15 MENTS.—The simplified electronic applica16 tion form shall permit an applicant to sub17 mit for financial assistance purposes, only 

18 the data elements required to make a de19 termination of whether the applicant meets 

20 the requirements under section 479(b). 

21 ‘‘(iii) STATE DATA.—The Secretary 

22 shall include on the simplified electronic 

23 application form space for information that 

24 is required of an applicant to be eligible for 

25 State financial assistance, as provided 


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1 under paragraph (5), except the Secretary 

2 shall not include a State’s data if that 

3 State does not permit its applicants for 

4 State assistance to use the simplified elec5 tronic application form. 

6 ‘‘(iv) FREE AVAILABILITY AND PROC7 ESSING.—The provisions of paragraph (6) 

8 shall apply to the simplified electronic ap9 plication form, and the data collected by 

10 means of the simplified electronic applica11 tion form shall be available to institutions 

12 of higher education, guaranty agencies, 

13 and States in accordance with paragraph 

14 (8). 

15 ‘‘(v) TESTING.—The Secretary shall 

16 conduct appropriate field testing on the 

17 form developed under this subparagraph. 

18 ‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

19 in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit 

20 the use of the form developed by the Secretary 

21 pursuant to this paragraph by an eligible insti22 tution, eligible lender, guaranty agency, State 

23 grant agency, private computer software pro24 vider, a consortium of such entities, or such 

25 other entities as the Secretary may designate. 


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1 ‘‘(D) PRIVACY.—The Secretary shall en2 sure that data collection under this paragraph 

3 complies with section 552a of title 5, United 

4 States Code, and that any entity using the elec5 tronic version of the forms developed by the 

6 Secretary pursuant to this paragraph shall 

7 maintain reasonable and appropriate adminis8 trative, technical, and physical safeguards to 

9 ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the 

10 information, and to protect against security 

11 threats, or unauthorized uses or disclosures of 

12 the information provided on the electronic 

13 version of the form. Data collected by such elec14 tronic version of the form shall be used only for 

15 the application, award, and administration of 

16 aid awarded under this title, State aid, or aid 

17 awarded by eligible institutions or such entities 

18 as the Secretary may designate. No data col19 lected by such electronic version of the form 

20 shall be used for making final aid awards under 

21 this title until such data have been processed by 

22 the Secretary or a contractor or designee of the 

23 Secretary, except as may be permitted under 

24 this title. 


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1 ‘‘(E) SIGNATURE.—Notwithstanding any 

2 other provision of this Act, the Secretary may 

3 permit an electronic form to be submitted with4 out a signature, if a signature is subsequently 

5 submitted by the applicant. 

6 ‘‘(F) PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUM7 BERS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary is author8 ized to assign to applicants personal identifica9 tion numbers— 

10 ‘‘(i) to enable the applicants to use 

11 such numbers in lieu of a signature for 

12 purposes of completing a form under this 

13 paragraph; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) for any purpose determined by 

15 the Secretary to enable the Secretary to 

16 carry out this title. 

17 ‘‘(G) PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

18 IMPROVEMENT ASSESSMENT AND REPORT.— 

19 ‘‘(i) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary 

20 shall conduct an assessment of the feasi21 bility of minimizing, and of eliminating, 

22 the time required for applicants to obtain 

23 a Personal Identification Number when ap24 plying for aid under this title through an 

25 electronic format (such as through a 


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1 website called ‘FAFSA on the Web’) in2 cluding an examination of the feasibility of 

3 implementing a real-time data match be4 tween the Social Security Administration 

5 and the Department. 

6 ‘‘(ii) REPORT.—The Secretary shall 

7 report the findings of the assessment de8 scribed in clause (i) to Congress not later 

9 than 6 months after the date of enactment 

10 of the Financial Aid Form Simplification 

11 and Access Act, including the next steps 

12 that may be taken to minimize the time re13 quired for applicants to obtain a Personal 

14 Identification Number when applying for 

15 aid under this title through an electronic 

16 format. 

17 ‘‘(4) REAPPLICATION.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

19 develop streamlined reapplication forms and 

20 processes, including both paper and electronic 

21 reapplication processes, consistent with the re22 quirements of this subsection, for an applicant 

23 who applies for financial assistance under this 

24 title in the next succeeding academic year sub25 sequent to the year in which such applicant 


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1 first applied for financial assistance under this 

2 title. 

3 ‘‘(B) UPDATED.—The Secretary shall de4 termine, in cooperation with States, institutions 

5 of higher education, and agencies and organiza6 tions involved in student financial assistance, 

7 the data elements that can be updated from the 

8 previous academic year’s application. 

9 ‘‘(C) ZERO FAMILY CONTRIBUTION.—Ap10 plicants determined to have a zero family con11 tribution pursuant to section 479(c) shall not 

12 be required to provide any financial data in a 

13 reapplication form, except that which is nec14 essary to determine eligibility under such sec15 tion. 

16 ‘‘(5) STATE REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

18 include on the forms developed under this sub19 section, such State-specific data items as the 

20 Secretary determines are necessary to meet 

21 State requirements for need-based State aid. 

22 Such items shall be selected in consultation 

23 with States to assist in the awarding of State 

24 financial assistance in accordance with the 

25 terms of this subsection. The number of such 


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1 data items shall not be less than the number in2 cluded on the form on October 7, 1998, unless 

3 States notify the Secretary that they no longer 

4 require those data items for the distribution of 

5 State need-based aid. 

6 ‘‘(B) ANNUAL REVIEW.—The Secretary 

7 shall conduct an annual review process to deter8 mine which forms and data items the States re9 quire to award need-based State aid and other 

10 application requirements that the States may 

11 impose. 

12 ‘‘(C) FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE.—The 

13 Secretary shall publish on an annual basis a no14 tice in the Federal Register requiring each 

15 State agency to inform the Secretary— 

16 ‘‘(i) if the agency is unable to permit 

17 applicants to utilize the forms described in 

18 paragraphs (2)(B) and (3)(B); and 

19 ‘‘(ii) of the State-specific data that 

20 the agency requires for delivery of State 

21 need-based financial aid. 

22 ‘‘(D) STATE NOTIFICATION TO THE SEC23 RETARY.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall 

25 notify the Secretary— 


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1 ‘‘(I) whether the State permits 

2 an applicant to file a form described 

3 in paragraph (2)(B) or (3)(B) for 

4 purposes of determining eligibility for 

5 State need-based grant aid; and 

6 ‘‘(II) of the State-specific data 

7 that the State requires for delivery of 

8 State need-based financial aid. 

9 ‘‘(ii) NO PERMISSION.—In the event 

10 that a State does not permit an applicant 

11 to file a form described in paragraph 

12 (2)(B) or (3)(B) for purposes of deter13 mining eligibility for State need-based 

14 grant aid— 

15 ‘‘(I) the State shall notify the 

16 Secretary if it is not permitted to do 

17 so because of State law or because of 

18 agency policy; and 

19 ‘‘(II) the notification under sub20 clause (I) shall include an estimate of 

21 the program cost to permit applicants 

22 to complete the forms described in 

23 paragraphs (2)(B) and (3)(B). 

24 ‘‘(iii) LACK OF NOTIFICATION BY THE

25 STATE.—If a State does not notify the 


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1 Secretary pursuant to clause (i), the Sec2 retary shall— 

3 ‘‘(I) permit residents of that 

4 State to complete the forms described 

5 in paragraphs (2)(B) and (3)(B); and 

6 ‘‘(II) not require any resident of 

7 that State to complete any data pre8 viously required by that State. 

9 ‘‘(E) RESTRICTION.—The Secretary shall 

10 not require applicants to complete any non11 financial data or financial data that are not re12 quired by the applicant’s State agency, except 

13 as may be required for applicants who use the 

14 paper forms described in subparagraphs (A) 

15 and (B) of paragraph (2). 

16 ‘‘(6) CHARGES TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS

17 FOR USE OF FORMS PROHIBITED.—The common fi18 nancial reporting forms prescribed by the Secretary 

19 under this subsection shall be produced, distributed, 

20 and processed by the Secretary and no parent or 

21 student shall be charged a fee by the Secretary, a 

22 contractor, a third party servicer or private software 

23 provider, or any other public or private entity for the 

24 collection, processing, or delivery of financial aid 

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1 bility of a student for financial assistance under 

2 parts A through E (other than under subpart 4 of 

3 part A) may only be determined by using a form de4 veloped by the Secretary pursuant to this subsection. 

5 No student may receive assistance under parts A 

6 through E (other than under subpart 4 of part A), 

7 except by use of a form developed by the Secretary 

8 pursuant to this subsection. No data collected on a 

9 paper or electronic form or other document, which 

10 the Secretary determines was created to replace a 

11 form prescribed under this subsection and therefore 

12 violates the integrity of a simplified and free finan13 cial aid application process, for which a fee is 

14 charged shall be used to complete the form pre15 scribed under this subsection. No person, commer16 cial entity, or other entity shall request, obtain, or 

17 utilize an applicant’s Personal Identification Number 

18 for purposes of submitting an application on an ap19 plicant’s behalf, other than a State agency, an eligi20 ble institution, or a program under this title that the 

21 Secretary permits to so request, obtain, or utilize an 

22 applicant’s Personal Identification Number in order 

23 to streamline the application. 

24 ‘‘(7) APPLICATION PROCESSING CYCLE.—The 

25 Secretary shall, prior to January 1 of a student’s 


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1 planned year of enrollment to the extent prac2 ticable— 

3 ‘‘(A) enable the student to submit a form 

4 described under this subsection in order to meet 

5 the filing requirements of this section and re6 ceive aid from programs under this title; and 

7 ‘‘(B) initiate the processing of a form 

8 under this subsection submitted by the stu9 dent.’’; and 

10 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(12) EARLY APPLICATION AND AWARD DEM12 ONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

14 after the date of enactment of the Financial 

15 Aid Form Simplification and Access Act, the 

16 Secretary shall implement an early application 

17 demonstration program enabling dependent stu18 dents to— 

19 ‘‘(i) complete applications under this 

20 subsection in such students’ junior year of 

21 secondary school, or in the academic year 

22 that is 2 years prior to such students’ in23 tended year of enrollment at an institution 

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1 ary 1st of such junior year or academic 

2 year, respectively); 

3 ‘‘(ii) receive an estimate of such stu4 dents’ final financial aid awards in such 

5 junior year or academic year, respectively; 

6 ‘‘(iii) update, in the year prior to such 

7 students’ planned year of enrollment (be8 fore January 1st of the planned year of en9 rollment to the extent practicable), the in10 formation contained in an application sub11 mitted under clause (i), using the process 

12 described in paragraph (4) to determine 

13 such students’ final financial aid awards; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(iv) receive final financial aid awards 

16 based on updated information described in 

17 clause (iii). 

18 ‘‘(B) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the dem19 onstration program under this paragraph is to 

20 measure the benefits, in terms of student aspi21 rations and plans to attend college, and the ad22 verse effects, in terms of program costs, integ23 rity, distribution, and delivery of aid under this 

24 title, of implementing an early application sys25 tem for all dependent students that allows deVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:42 Mar 23, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S939.IS S939

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1 pendent students to apply for financial aid 

2 using information from the year prior to the 

3 year prior to enrollment at an institution of 

4 higher education. Additional objectives associ5 ated with implementation of the demonstration 

6 program are the following: 

7 ‘‘(i) Measure the feasibility of ena8 bling dependent students to apply for Fed9 eral, State, and institutional financial aid 

10 in such students’ junior year of secondary 

11 school, or in the academic year that is 2 

12 years prior to such students’ intended year 

13 of enrollment at an institution of higher 

14 education, using information from the year 

15 prior to the year prior to enrollment, by 

16 completing any of the application forms 

17 under this subsection. 

18 ‘‘(ii) Determine the feasibility, bene19 fits, and adverse effects of utilizing infor20 mation from the Internal Revenue Service 

21 in order to simplify the Federal student 

22 aid application process. 

23 ‘‘(iii) Identify whether receiving esti24 mates of final financial aid awards not 

25 later than a student’s junior year, or the 


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1 academic year that is 2 years prior to such 

2 students’ intended year of enrollment at an 

3 institution of higher education, positively 

4 impacts the college aspirations and plans 

5 of such student. 

6 ‘‘(iv) Measure the impact of using in7 come information from the year prior to 

8 the year prior to enrollment on— 

9 ‘‘(I) eligibility for financial aid 

10 under this title and for other institu11 tional aid; and 

12 ‘‘(II) the cost of financial aid 

13 programs under this title. 

14 ‘‘(v) Effectively evaluate the benefits 

15 and adverse effects of the demonstration 

16 program on program costs, integrity, dis17 tribution, and delivery of aid. 

18 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary shall 

19 select, in consultation with States and institu20 tions of higher education, States and institu21 tions of higher education within the States in22 terested in participating in the demonstration 

23 program under this paragraph. The States and 

24 institutions of higher education shall participate 

25 in programs under this title and be willing to 


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1 make estimates of final financial aid awards to 

2 students based on such students’ application in3 formation from the year prior to the year prior 

4 to enrollment. The Secretary shall also select as 

5 participants in the demonstration program sec6 ondary schools that are located in the partici7 pating States and dependent students who re8 side in the participating States. 

9 ‘‘(D) APPLICATION PROCESS.—The Sec10 retary shall ensure that the following provisions 

11 are included in the demonstration program: 

12 ‘‘(i) Participating States and institu13 tions of higher education shall— 

14 ‘‘(I) encourage participating stu15 dents to apply for estimates of final 

16 financial aid awards as provided 

17 under this title in such students’ jun18 ior year of secondary school, or in the 

19 academic year that is 2 years prior to 

20 such students’ intended year of enroll21 ment at an institution of higher edu22 cation, using information from the 

23 year prior to the year prior to enroll24 ment; 


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1 ‘‘(II) provide estimates of final fi2 nancial aid awards to participating 

3 students based on the students’ appli4 cation information from the year prior 

5 to the year of enrollment; and 

6 ‘‘(III) make final financial aid 

7 awards to participating students 

8 based on the updated information con9 tained on a form submitted using the 

10 process described in paragraph (4). 

11 ‘‘(ii) Financial aid administrators at 

12 participating institutions of higher edu13 cation shall be allowed to use such admin14 istrators’ discretion in awarding financial 

15 aid to participating students, as outlined 

16 under section 479A. 

17 ‘‘(E) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The Secretary 

18 shall include in the demonstration program a 

19 study of the feasibility of utilizing data from 

20 the Internal Revenue Service in order to— 

21 ‘‘(i) pre-populate electronic application 

22 forms for financial aid under this title 

23 (such as through a website called ‘FAFSA 

24 on the Web’) with applicant information 

25 from the Internal Revenue Service; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) verify data provided by students 

2 participating in the demonstration pro3 gram, including the feasibility of a data 

4 match; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) award and deliver financial aid 

6 under this title. 

7 ‘‘(F) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 

8 conduct a rigorous evaluation of the demonstra9 tion program in order to measure the program’s 

10 benefits and adverse effects as the benefits and 

11 affects relate to the purpose and objectives de12 scribed in subparagraph (B). 

13 ‘‘(G) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall 

14 make appropriate efforts in order to notify 

15 States of the demonstration program. Upon de16 termination of which States will be partici17 pating in the demonstration program, the Sec18 retary shall continue to make efforts to notify 

19 institutions of higher education and dependent 

20 students within such participating States of the 

21 opportunity to participate in the demonstration 

22 program and of the participation requirements. 

23 ‘‘(H) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary 

24 shall consult with the Advisory Committee on 

25 Student Financial Assistance, established under 


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1 section 491, on the design and implementation 

2 of the demonstration program and on the eval3 uation described in paragraph (F).’’; 

4 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(b) EARLY AWARENESS OF AID ELIGIBILITY.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

8 every effort to provide students with early informa9 tion about potential financial aid eligibility. 

10 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF MEANS TO DETERMINE

11 ELIGIBILITY.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

13 provide, in cooperation with States, institutions 

14 of higher education, agencies, and organizations 

15 involved in student financial assistance, through 

16 a widely disseminated printed form and through 

17 the Internet or other electronic means, a system 

18 for individuals to determine easily, by entering 

19 relevant data, approximately the amount of 

20 grant, work-study, and loan assistance for 

21 which an individual would be eligible under this 

22 title upon completion and verification of a form 

23 under subsection (a). 

24 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATION OF WHETHER TO

25 USE SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION.—The system esVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:42 Mar 23, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S939.IS S939

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1 tablished under this paragraph shall also permit 

2 an individual to determine whether or not the 

3 individual may apply for aid using an EZ 

4 FAFSA described in subsection (a)(2)(B) or a 

5 simplified electronic application form described 

6 in subsection (a)(3)(B). 

7 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF MEANS TO COMMU8 NICATE ELIGIBILITY.— 

9 ‘‘(A) LOWER-INCOME STUDENTS.—The 

10 Secretary shall— 

11 ‘‘(i) make special efforts to notify stu12 dents who qualify for a free or reduced 

13 price lunch under the school lunch pro14 gram established under the Richard B. 

15 Russell National School Lunch Act (42 

16 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.), benefits under the 

17 food stamp program under the Food 

18 Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

19 seq.), or benefits under such programs as 

20 the Secretary shall determine, of such stu21 dents’ potential eligibility for a maximum 

22 Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1 of part 

23 A; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) disseminate informational mate25 rials regarding the linkage between eligiVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:42 Mar 23, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S939.IS S939

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1 bility for means-tested Federal benefit pro2 grams and eligibility for a Federal Pell 

3 Grant, as determined necessary by the Sec4 retary. 

5 ‘‘(B) MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.—The 

6 Secretary shall, in cooperation with States, mid7 dle schools, programs under this title that serve 

8 middle school students, and other cooperating 

9 independent outreach programs, make special 

10 efforts to notify middle school students of the 

11 availability of financial assistance under this 

12 title and of the approximate amounts of grant, 

13 work-study, and loan assistance an individual 

14 would be eligible for under this title. 

15 ‘‘(C) SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.— 

16 The Secretary, in cooperation with States, sec17 ondary schools, programs under this title that 

18 serve secondary school students, and cooper19 ating independent outreach programs, shall 

20 make special efforts to notify students in their 

21 junior year of secondary school, or in the aca22 demic year that is 2 years prior to such stu23 dents’ intended year of enrollment at an institu24 tion of higher education, of the approximate 

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1 ance an individual would be eligible for under 

2 this title upon completion and verification of an 

3 application form under subsection (a).’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (c)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘Labor and Human Re6 sources’’ and inserting ‘‘Health, Education, 

7 Labor, and Pensions’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘the Workforce’’ and in9 serting ‘‘Labor’’; and 

10 (4) by striking subsections (d) and (e), and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(d) ASSISTANCE IN PREPARATION OF FINANCIAL

13 AID APPLICATION.— 

14 ‘‘(1) PREPARATION AUTHORIZED.—Nothing in 

15 this Act shall be construed to limit an applicant 

16 from using a preparer for consultative or prepara17 tion services for the completion of the common fi18 nancial reporting forms described in subsection (a). 

19 ‘‘(2) PREPARER IDENTIFICATION.—Any com20 mon financial reporting form required to be made 

21 under this title shall include the name, signature, 

22 address or employer’s address, social security num23 ber or employer identification number, and organiza24 tional affiliation of the preparer of such common fi25 nancial reporting form. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—Nothing in this Act shall 

2 be construed to limit preparers of common financial 

3 reporting forms required to be made under this title 

4 from collecting source information, including Inter5 nal Revenue Service tax forms, in providing consult6 ative and preparation services in completing the 

7 forms. 

8 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—A preparer 

9 that provides consultative or preparation services 

10 pursuant to this subsection shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) clearly inform individuals upon initial 

12 contact (including advertising in clear and con13 spicuous language on the website of the pre14 parer, including by providing a link directly to 

15 the website described in subsection (a)(3), if the 

16 preparer provides such services through a 

17 website) that the common financial reporting 

18 forms that are required to determine eligibility 

19 for financial assistance under parts A through 

20 E (other than subpart 4 of part A) may be 

21 completed for free via paper or electronic forms 

22 provided by the Secretary; 

23 ‘‘(B) refrain from producing or dissemi24 nating any form other than the forms produced 

25 by the Secretary under subsection (a); and 


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1 ‘‘(C) not charge any fee to any individual 

2 seeking such services who meets the require3 ments under subsection (b) or (c) of section 

4 479.’’. 

5 (c) TOLL-FREE APPLICATION AND INFORMATION.— 

6 Section 479 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1087ss), as amended by subsection (b)(4), is fur8 ther amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(e) TOLL-FREE APPLICATION AND INFORMA10 TION.—The Secretary shall contract for, or establish, and 

11 publicize a toll-free telephone service to provide an applica12 tion mechanism and timely and accurate information to 

13 the general public. The information provided shall include 

14 specific instructions on completing the application form 

15 for assistance under this title. Such service shall also in16 clude a service accessible by telecommunications devices 

17 for the deaf (TDD’s) and shall, in addition to the services 

18 provided for in the previous sentence, refer such students 

19 to the national clearinghouse on postsecondary education 

20 or another appropriate provider of technical assistance 

21 and information on postsecondary educational services, 

22 that is supported under section 663 of the Individuals with 

23 Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1463). Not later 

24 than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Financial 

25 Aid Form Simplification and Access Act, the Secretary 


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1 shall test and implement, to the extent practicable, a toll2 free telephone-based application system to permit appli3 cants who are eligible to utilize the EZ FAFSA described 

4 in section 483(a) over such system.’’. 

5 (d) MASTER CALENDAR.—Section 482(a)(1)(B) of 

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

7 1089(a)(1)(B)) is amended to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(B) by March 1: proposed modifications 

9 and updates pursuant to sections 478, 479(c), 

10 and 483(a)(5) published in the Federal Reg11 ister;’’. 

12 (e) SIMPLIFYING THE VERIFICATION PROCESS.— 

13 Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 1091) is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(s) VERIFICATION OF STUDENT ELIGIBILITY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) REGULATORY REVIEW.—The Secretary 

18 shall review all regulations of the Department re19 lated to verifying the information provided on a stu20 dent’s financial aid application in order to simplify 

21 the verification process for students and institutions. 

22 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

23 date of enactment of the Financial Aid Form Sim24 plification and Access Act, the Secretary shall pre25 pare and submit a final report to the Committee on 


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1 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen2 ate and the Committee on Education and Labor of 

3 the House of Representatives on steps taken, to the 

4 extent practicable, to simplify the verification proc5 ess. The report shall specifically address steps taken 

6 to— 

7 ‘‘(A) reduce the burden of verification on 

8 students who are selected for verification at 

9 multiple institutions; 

10 ‘‘(B) reduce the number of data elements 

11 that are required to be verified for applicants 

12 meeting the requirements of subsection (b) or 

13 (c) of section 479, so that only those data ele14 ments required to determine eligibility under 

15 subsection (b) or (c) of section 479 are subject 

16 to verification; 

17 ‘‘(C) reduce the burden and costs associ18 ated with verification for institutions that are 

19 eligible to participate in Federal student aid 

20 programs under this title; and 

21 ‘‘(D) increase the use of technology in the 

22 verification process.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR WORKING STUDENTS. 

2 (a) DEPENDENT STUDENTS.—Section 475(g)(2)(D) 

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

4 1087oo(g)(2)(D)) is amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(D) $9,000;’’. 

6 (b) INDEPENDENT STUDENTS WITHOUT DEPEND7 ENTS OTHER THAN A SPOUSE.—Section 476(b)(1)(A)(iv) 

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

9 1087pp(b)(1)(A)(iv)) is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(iv) an income protection allowance 

11 of the following amount (or a successor 

12 amount prescribed by the Secretary under 

13 section 478)— 

14 ‘‘(I) $10,000 for single or sepa15 rated students; 

16 ‘‘(II) $10,000 for married stu17 dents where both are enrolled pursu18 ant to subsection (a)(2); and 

19 ‘‘(III) $13,000 for married stu20 dents where 1 is enrolled pursuant to 

21 subsection (a)(2);’’. 

22 (c) INDEPENDENT STUDENTS WITH DEPENDENTS

23 OTHER THAN A SPOUSE.—Section 477(b)(4) of the High24 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087qq(b)(4)) is 

25 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘(4) INCOME PROTECTION ALLOWANCE.—The 

2 income protection allowance is determined by the fol3 lowing table (or a successor table prescribed by the 

4 Secretary under section 478): 

‘‘Income Protection Allowance 

Family Size 

Number in College 

1 2 3 4 5 

2 $17,580 $15,230 

3 20,940 17,610 $16,260 

4 24,950 22,600 20,270 $17,930 

5 28,740 26,390 24,060 21,720 $19,390 

6 32,950 30,610 28,280 25,940 23,610 

NOTE: For each additional family member, add $3,280. 

For each additional college student, subtract $2,330.’’. 

5 SEC. 5. SIMPLIFICATION FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL 

6 CIRCUMSTANCES. 

7 (a) INDEPENDENT STUDENT.—Section 480(d) of the 

8 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d)) is 

9 amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(d) INDEPENDENT STUDENT.— 

11 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—The term ‘independent’, 

12 when used with respect to a student, means any in13 dividual who— 

14 ‘‘(A) is 24 years of age or older by Decem15 ber 31 of the award year; 

16 ‘‘(B) is an orphan, in foster care, or a 

17 ward of the court, or was in foster care or a 

18 ward of the court until the individual reached 

19 the age of 18; 


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1 ‘‘(C) is an emancipated minor or is in legal 

2 guardianship as determined by a court of com3 petent jurisdiction in the individual’s State of 

4 legal residence; 

5 ‘‘(D) is a veteran of the Armed Forces of 

6 the United States (as defined in subsection 

7 (c)(1)) or is currently serving on active duty in 

8 the Armed Forces; 

9 ‘‘(E) is a graduate or professional student; 

10 ‘‘(F) is a married individual; 

11 ‘‘(G) has legal dependents other than a 

12 spouse; or 

13 ‘‘(H) is a student for whom a financial aid 

14 administrator makes a documented determina15 tion of independence by reason of other unusual 

16 circumstances. 

17 ‘‘(2) SIMPLIFYING THE DEPENDENCY OVER18 RIDE PROCESS.—Nothing in this section shall be 

19 construed to prohibit a financial aid administrator 

20 from making a determination of independence, as 

21 described in paragraph (1)(H), based upon a deter22 mination of independence previously made by an23 other financial aid administrator in the same appli24 cation year.’’. 


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1 (b) TAILORING ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS FOR

2 STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.—Section 

3 483(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

4 1090(a)), as amended by section 3(b)(1)(D), is further 

5 amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(13) APPLICATIONS FOR STUDENTS SEEKING

7 A DOCUMENTED DETERMINATION OF INDEPEND8 ENCE.—In the case of a dependent student seeking 

9 a documented determination of independence by a fi10 nancial aid administrator, as described in section 

11 480(d), nothing in this section shall prohibit the 

12 Secretary from— 

13 ‘‘(A) allowing such student to— 

14 ‘‘(i) indicate the student’s request for 

15 a documented determination of independ16 ence on an electronic form developed pur17 suant to this subsection; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) submit such form for preliminary 

19 processing that only contains those data 

20 elements required of independent students, 

21 as defined in section 480(d); 

22 ‘‘(B) collecting and processing on a pre23 liminary basis data provided by such a student 

24 using the electronic forms developed pursuant 

25 to this subsection; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) distributing such data to institutions 

2 of higher education, guaranty agencies, and 

3 States for the purposes of processing loan appli4 cations and determining need and eligibility for 

5 institutional and State financial aid awards on 

6 a preliminary basis, pending a documented de7 termination of independence by a financial aid 

8 administrator.’’. 

9 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

10 (a) TOTAL INCOME.—Section 480(a)(2) of the High11 er Education Act of (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(a)(2)) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘and no portion’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘no portion’’; and 

15 (2) by inserting ‘‘and no distribution from any 

16 qualified education benefit described in subsection 

17 (f)(3) that is not subject to Federal income tax,’’ 

18 after ‘‘1986,’’. 

19 (b) ASSETS.—Section 480(f) of the Higher Education 

20 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(f)) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘shall not be 

22 considered an asset of a student for purposes of sec23 tion 475’’ and inserting ‘‘shall be considered an 

24 asset of the parent for purposes of section 475’’; 


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1 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as 

2 paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and 

3 (3) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(4) A qualified education benefit shall be con6 sidered an asset of the student for purposes of sec7 tion 476 and 477.’’. 

8 (c) OTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 

9 480(j)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

10 1087vv(j)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, or a distribution 

11 that is not includable in gross income under section 529 

12 of such Code, under another prepaid tuition plan offered 

13 by a State, or under a Coverdell education savings account 

14 under section 530 of such Code,’’ after ‘‘1986’’. 

15 SEC. 7. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON STUDENT FINANCIAL AS16 SISTANCE. 

17 Section 491 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

18 U.S.C. 1098) is further amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

21 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

22 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

23 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

24 and 

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


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1 ‘‘(D) to provide knowledge and under2 standing of early intervention programs and 

3 make recommendations that will result in early 

4 awareness by low- and moderate-income stu5 dents and families of their eligibility for assist6 ance under this title, and, to the extent prac7 ticable, their eligibility for other forms of State 

8 and institutional need-based student assistance; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(E) to make recommendations that will 

11 expand and improve partnerships among the 

12 Federal Government, States, institutions, and 

13 private entities to increase the awareness and 

14 total amount of need-based student assistance 

15 available to low- and moderate-income stu16 dents.’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (d)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘, but 

19 nothing in this section shall authorize the com20 mittee to perform such studies, surveys, or 

21 analyses’’; 

22 (B) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

23 after the semicolon; 

24 (C) by redesignating paragraph (9) as 

25 paragraph (10); and 


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1 (D) by inserting after paragraph (8) the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(9) monitor the adequacy of total need-based 

4 aid available to low- and moderate-income students 

5 from all sources, assess the implications for access 

6 and persistence, and report those implications annu7 ally to Congress and the Secretary; and’’; 

8 (3) in subsection (j)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

10 after the semicolon; 

11 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe12 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(6) monitor and assess implementation of im15 provements called for under this title, make rec16 ommendations to the Secretary that ensure the time17 ly design, testing, and implementation of the im18 provements, and report annually to Congress and 

19 the Secretary on progress made toward simplifying 

20 overall delivery, reducing data elements and ques21 tions, incorporating the latest technology, aligning 

22 Federal, State, and institutional eligibility, enhanc23 ing partnerships, and improving early awareness of 

24 total student aid eligibility for low- and moderate-in25 come students and families.’’; and 


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1 (4) in subsection (k), by striking ‘‘2004’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘2011’’. 

Æ 


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