I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5502 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide alternative identity 

verification procedures for individuals applying for Federal student assistance, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 16, 2016 

Mr. VEASEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 

alternative identity verification procedures for individuals 

applying for Federal 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fairness in Financial 

5 Aid Act’’ or the ‘‘FIFA Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUM2 BER FOR FEDERAL STUDENT ASSISTANCE 

3 APPLICATION. 

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

5 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)) is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘(I) ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTI8 FICATION NUMBER.— 

9 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

10 shall assign a personal identification num11 ber under subparagraph (G) to an appli12 cant who provides a valid social security 

13 number or taxpayer identifying number (as 

14 described in section 6109 of the Internal 

15 Revenue Code of 1986) verifying the iden16 tity of such applicant. 

17 ‘‘(ii) VERIFICATION OF TAXPAYER

18 IDENTIFYING NUMBER.—The Secretary of 

19 Education, in cooperation with the Sec20 retary of the Treasury, shall verify any 

21 taxpayer identifying number provided by 

22 an applicant under clause (i) before assign23 ing a personal identification number to 

24 such applicant. 

25 ‘‘(iii) VERIFICATION OF SSN.—The 

26 Secretary of Education, in cooperation 


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1 with the Commissioner of the Social Secu2 rity Administration, shall verify any social 

3 security number provided by an applicant 

4 under clause (i) before assigning a per5 sonal identification number to such appli6 cant.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. ACCESS TO TAXPAYER IDENTITY INFORMATION. 

8 Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (l), by adding at the end the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(23) DISCLOSURE OF TAXPAYER IDENTITY IN13 FORMATION FOR PURPOSES OF ASSIGNING A PER14 SONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER UNDER THE HIGH15 ER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, 

17 upon written request from the Secretary of 

18 Education, disclose to officers and employees of 

19 the Department of Education the taxpayer 

20 identity information of a taxpayer who has re21 quested a personal identification number under 

22 section 483(a)(3)(I) of the Higher Education 

23 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)(I)). 

24 ‘‘(B) RESTRICTION ON USE OF DISCLOSED

25 INFORMATION.—Taxpayer identity information 


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1 disclosed under subparagraph (A) may be used 

2 by officers and employees of the Department of 

3 Education only for the purposes of, and to the 

4 extent necessary in, assigning a personal identi5 fication number to an applicant under section 

6 483(a)(3)(I) of the Higher Education Act of 

7 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)(I)).’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (p)(4), by striking ‘‘or (22)’’ 

9 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘(22), or (23)’’. 

Æ 


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