Financial Aid Form Simplification and Access Act

Bill: 109-s-1030
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2005-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
College costs
Computer matching
Computer security measures
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Department of Education
Dislocated workers
Economics and Public Finance
Education of the disadvantaged
Education savings accounts
Electronic data interchange
Elementary and secondary education
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Foster home care
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Guardian and ward
Higher education
Identification devices
Income
Income tax
Labor and Employment
Law
Right of privacy
Scholarships
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Social Welfare
State taxation
Student aid
Student employment
Students
Taxation
Telephone
Welfare eligibility

Summary:
action_date: 2005-05-12
text: 
Financial Aid Form Simplification and Access Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the process of applying for student assistance.
 
Revises requirements for the simplified needs test to take into account dislocated workers and recipients of means-tested federal benefits.
 
 Directs the Secretary of Education to develop and use a simplified paper application form of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to be called the FAFSA-EZ, for students who meet the requirements of the automatic zero expected family contribution.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) phase-out by the 2009-2010 award year the paper form (the long form or full FAFSA) for students who do not meet the requirements for a FAFSA-EZ; and (2) produce, distribute, and process common forms in electronic format, including a simplified electronic application form on the Internet.
 
Directs the Secretary to make every effort to provide students with early information about potential financial aid eligibility, both through a widely disseminated printed form and the Internet or other electronic means.
 
Directs the Secretary to make special efforts to notify: (1) students who qualify for specified means-tested federal benefits of their potential eligibility for a maximum federal Pell Grant; and (2) middle school and secondary school students of the availability of student financial assistance.
 
Requires the Secretary to contract for or establish a toll-free telephone service to provide an application mechanism and timely and accurate information to the general public.
 
Revises requirements for determining the income contribution of dependent students, independent students without dependents other than spouse, and independent students with dependents other than spouse (generally increasing allowances).
 
Provides, for students with special circumstances, a simplified determination of independence and a tailoring of electronic applications. 
 
Revises the purposes of the independent Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance to reflect this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5163-5168)
action_date: 2005-05-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5160-5161)
action_date: 2005-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate