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 assist-
ance, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 16, 2016 
Mr. VEASEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Com-
mittee 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fairness in Financial 
Aid Act’’ or the ‘‘FIFA Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUM-
BER FOR FEDERAL STUDENT ASSISTANCE 
APPLICATION. 
Section 483(a)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(I) ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTI-
FICATION NUMBER.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
shall assign a personal identification num-
ber under subparagraph (G) to an appli-
cant who provides a valid social security 
number or taxpayer identifying number (as 
described in section 6109 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986) verifying the iden-
tity of such applicant. 
‘‘(ii) VERIFICATION
OF
TAXPAYER 
IDENTIFYING NUMBER.—The Secretary of 
Education, in cooperation with the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, shall verify any 
taxpayer identifying number provided by 
an applicant under clause (i) before assign-
ing a personal identification number to 
such applicant. 
‘‘(iii) VERIFICATION
OF
SSN.—The 
Secretary of Education, in cooperation 
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with the Commissioner of the Social Secu-
rity Administration, shall verify any social 
security number provided by an applicant 
under clause (i) before assigning a per-
sonal identification number to such appli-
cant.’’. 
SEC. 3. ACCESS TO TAXPAYER IDENTITY INFORMATION. 
Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
is amended— 
(1) in subsection (l), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(23) DISCLOSURE OF TAXPAYER IDENTITY IN-
FORMATION FOR PURPOSES OF ASSIGNING A PER-
SONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER UNDER THE HIGH-
ER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may, 
upon written request from the Secretary of 
Education, disclose to officers and employees of 
the Department of Education the taxpayer 
identity information of a taxpayer who has re-
quested a personal identification number under 
section 483(a)(3)(I) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)(I)). 
‘‘(B) RESTRICTION ON USE OF DISCLOSED 
INFORMATION.—Taxpayer identity information 
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disclosed under subparagraph (A) may be used 
by officers and employees of the Department of 
Education only for the purposes of, and to the 
extent necessary in, assigning a personal identi-
fication number to an applicant under section 
483(a)(3)(I) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090(a)(3)(I)).’’; and 
(2) in subsection (p)(4), by striking ‘‘or (22)’’ 
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘(22), or (23)’’. 
Æ 
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