Title: FIFA Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Fairness in Financial Aid Act or the FIFA Act
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Internal Revenue Code to revise the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application process. Specifically, it allows a taxpayer identification number to be used instead of a Social Security account number in the application.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2072 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2072

   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

                             April 6, 2017

  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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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''.

SEC. 2. ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER 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 identification 
                number.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall 
                        assign a personal identification number under 
                        subparagraph (G) to an applicant 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 identity of such applicant.
                            ``(ii) Verification of taxpayer identifying 
                        number.--The Secretary of Education, in 
                        cooperation with the Secretary of the Treasury, 
                        shall verify any taxpayer identifying number 
                        provided by an applicant under clause (i) 
                        before assigning a personal identification 
                        number to such applicant.
                            ``(iii) Verification of ssn.--The Secretary 
                        of Education, in cooperation with the 
                        Commissioner of the Social Security 
                        Administration, shall verify any social 
                        security number provided by an applicant under 
                        clause (i) before assigning a personal 
                        identification number to such applicant.''.

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 information for 
        purposes of assigning a personal identification number under 
        the higher 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 
                requested 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 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 identification 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)''.
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