Puerto Rico Higher Education Disaster Relief Act

Bill: 115-hr-5850
Sponsor: full_name: Resident Commissioner González-Colón, Jenniffer [R-PR-At Large]
Introduced: 2018-05-16
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Caribbean area

Disaster relief and insurance

Education programs funding

Higher education

Natural disasters

Puerto Rico

U.S. territories and protectorates
Latest action: action_date: 2018-05-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-05-16
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Puerto Rico Higher Education Disaster Relief Act</strong></p> <p>This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to waive the 90-10 rule through FY2020 for&nbsp;proprietary (i.e., for-profit)</a> institutions of higher education impacted by Hurricane Irma or Maria. Under the 90-10&nbsp;rule,&nbsp;such institutions must derive at least 10% of their revenue from nonfederal sources or risk becoming ineligible for federal financial aid. </a></p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5850 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 16, 2018 Miss González-Colón of Puerto Rico introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to waive the 90–10 rule for proprietary institutions impacted by Hurricanes Irma or Maria.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Puerto Rico Higher Education Disaster Relief Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Puerto Rico, particularly affecting its east coast and the islands of Vieques and Culebra. (2) While Puerto Rico was recovering from Hurricane Irma, on September 20, 2017, Hurricane María made landfall in Puerto Rico as a category 4 hurricane, being the worst storm to strike the Island in over 80 years. (3) Consequently, Puerto Rican institutions of higher education have faced extraordinary expenses to continue their operations, such as power generators, fuel, additional security guards, transportation, cleaning, reconstruction, food, potable water, among others. In most cases, the insurance companies are not covering the damages or losses or have delayed payments. (4) Students in Puerto Rico lack the funds to cover their tuition payment plans because they have been using such funds to deal with their own extraordinary expenses in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and María. While other students are leaving the Island and continuing their studies in the contiguous United States. (5) As a result of Hurrianes Irma and Maria, Puerto Rican for-profit higher education institutions are unable to comply with the 90–10 Rule under section 487(a)(24) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1084(a)(24) ) because they are unable to meet the requirement that not less than ten percent of such institution's revenues be derived from sources other than funds provided under title IV of such Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.). 3. Waiver of 90–10 rule Section 487(a)(24) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1084(a)(24) ) is amended— (1) by striking (24) In the case of and inserting the following: (24) (A) In the case of ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect to fiscal years 2018 through 2020 to an institution described in such subparagraph (A) that is located in an area declared as a major disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act resulting from Hurricane Irma or Maria. .