Fed Up Higher Education Technical Amendments Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-12
Sponsor: Rep. McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" [R-CA-25]
Introduced: 2003-01-07 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Agriculture and Food
Americans in foreign countries
Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Bank records
Collection of accounts
Colleges
Congress
Congressional Record
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Correspondence schools and courses
Crime and Law Enforcement
Debt
Disabled
Distance education
Drug abuse
Economics and Public Finance
Educational accountability
Educational tests
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Electronic mail systems
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency Management
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federally-guaranteed loans
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Government paperwork
Graduate education
Guardian and ward
Health
Higher education
Hispanic Americans
Home schooling
International Affairs
Internet
Law
Legal education
Licenses
Loan defaults
Married people
Medical education
Military personnel
Minorities
Minority education
Paramedical personnel
Parents
Police
Scholarships
Science, Technology, Communications
September 11, 2001
State laws
Student aid
Student loan funds
Students
Survivors' benefits
Teacher education
Terrorism
Veterinary medicine
Victims of terrorism
Voter registration
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2003-01-07
text: Fed Up Higher Education Technical Amendments of 2003 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to make various technical revisions regarding access to student aid programs.
Revises the HEA general definition of institution of higher education (IHE) to include one that admits as regular students those who have been home-schooled (as well as high school graduates or those with equivalency certificates), thus conforming it with provisions that make such home-schooled students eligible for student aid under HEA title IV.
Makes students attending nonprofit foreign veterinary schools eligible for the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) student loan program if the school does not meet certain requirements, but only if: (1) it was certified as eligible by the Secretary of Education; and (2) students complete their clinical training at an approved veterinary school in the United States.
Allows IHEs to make mandatory reports on teacher preparation program quality by electronic means under HEA title II.
Eliminates a HEA title IV requirement that new forbearance agreements between lenders and borrowers be in writing; but requires lenders to notify borrowers of their terms.
Requires students withdrawing from an IHE to return only HEA title IV grant aid amounts exceeding 50 percent of the total (if more than $50).
Permits Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to apply for Federal HSI grants under HEA title V without waiting two years between applications.
Authorizes the use of HEA title VII funds for: (1) Federal scholarship aid to low-income and minority students for summer institutes to prepare for law school; and (2) Thurgood Marshall Fellowships to attend law school.
Directs the Comptroller General to study and report on teacher preparation requirements of States and IHEs.
Amends HEA to direct the Secretary to discharge or cancel the Federal student loan indebtedness of spouses, surviving joint debtors, and parents of public servants and other individuals who died (or die) or who became (or become) permanently and totally disabled from injuries suffered in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Exempts courses offered through telecommunications by qualifying IHEs from certain HEA title IV limitations on student financial assistance that otherwise apply to correspondence courses. Requires reports on such exceptions by the qualifying IHEs and by the Secretary.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-01-07
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
action_date: 2003-01-07
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E15-16)
action_date: 2003-01-07
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-01-07
text: Introduced in House