Expanding Opportunities in Higher Education Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-3039
Sponsor: Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4]
Introduced: 2003-09-09 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance
Accreditation (Education)
Agriculture and Food
Alaska
Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Armed forces reserves
Auditing
Authorization
Black colleges
Building construction
College administration
College costs
Colleges
Community colleges
Compensatory education
Congress
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Correspondence schools and courses
Deaf
Department of Education
Department of the Interior
Disabled
Distance education
District of Columbia
Dropouts
Economics and Public Finance
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational accountability
Educational planning
Educational technology
Educational tests
Electronic government information
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to education
Food stamps
Fund raising
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Graduate education
Hawaiians
Health
Higher education
Hispanic Americans
Indian education
Indigenous peoples
International Affairs
International education
Internet
Labor and Employment
Maintenance and repair
Married people
Medical education
Mentoring
Migrant education
Minorities
Minority education
National Guard
New York State
Nonprofit organizations
Peace
Private schools
Scholarships
School buildings
School lunch program
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Social Welfare
Special education
Student aid
Student employment
Student loan funds
Supplemental security income program
Veterinary medicine
Vocational and technical education
Wages
Welfare eligibility
Welfare recipients
Working poor

Summary:
action_date: 2003-09-09
text: 
 Expanding Opportunities in Higher Education Act of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to revise and reauthorize various programs and provisions. 
 
 Repeals HEA provisions, under the definition of institution of higher education, that: (1) currently require for-profit institutions of higher education to derive at least ten percent of their revenue from funds that do not come from HEA title IV student assistance programs (the 90/10 rule); and (2) currently restrict distance education in terms of the relative number of courses an institution may offer by telecommunications, and relative number of students enrolled in such courses, for purposes of student assistance program eligibility (the 50 percent rule). (Retains such rule for correspondence courses not offered by telecommunications.)
 
Revises HEA title III (Institutional Aid) to extend authorizations of appropriations for: (1) part A grants for American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, and for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions; (2) part B grants for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU); (3) endowment challenge grants for institutions; (4) HBCU capital financing; and (5) the minority science and engineering improvement program.
 
Revises HEA title V (Developing Institutions) to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to Hispanic-serving institutions.
 
Revises HEA title IV (Student Assistance) to treat as independent students those currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces for other than training purposes (thus including active duty members of the National Guard and Reserves). 
 
Revises requirements, and extends authorizations of appropriations for, the following title IV programs: (1) Federal TRIO support services programs for disadvantaged students; (2) GEAR UP early intervention and college awareness programs for low-income students; and (3) HEP/CAMP special programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farmwork.
 
Directs the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to study and report on the feasibility of simplifying the need analysis methodology for all for Federal student financial assistance programs and the process of applying for such assistance. Requires the Secretary of Education to initiate a redesign of the free application for Federal student aid (FAFSA). Revises requirements for a simplified needs test.
 
Amends the Education of the Deaf Act of 1986 to extend the authorization of appropriations in general, as well as for monitoring and evaluation, and for Federal endowment programs for Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID).
 
Extends authorizations of appropriations for programs under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978, the Navajo Community College Act, and the United States Institute of Peace Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-09-10
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2003-09-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
action_date: 2003-09-09
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
action_date: 2003-09-09
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1746)
action_date: 2003-09-09
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-09-09
text: Introduced in House