jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-06-03 00:00:00

Student Loan Employment Benefits Act of 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an employee up to $5000 per year of the amounts paid by an employer under a student loan payment assistance program.

The student loan payment assistance program must be a separate written plan of an employer to provide employees with student loan payment assistance which meets specified requirements.

The bill defines "student loan payment assistance" as the payment of principal or interest on any indebtedness incurred by an employee solely to pay qualified higher education expenses which are paid or incurred within a reasonable time before or after such indebtedness was incurred and are attributable to education furnished during a period in which such employee was a student eligible for federal financial assistance. "Student loan payment assistance" also includes the payment of principal or interest on debt used to refinance the debt described above.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-06-09 00:00:00

Helping Employers Lessen Payments for Students Act of 2016 or the HELPS Act 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income of an employee up to $10,000 per year in education loan payments made by an employer on behalf of the employee.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-14 00:00:00

Ensure Responsible Borrowing Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify loan counseling requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs.

Currently, an IHE must provide one-time entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time Direct Loan (DL) program borrower. This bill allows an IHE to require any student DL program borrower to complete additional counseling on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of a loan at or prior to its disbursement.

Additionally, it requires an IHE to ensure that student and parent DL program borrowers annually accept a loan affirmatively prior to the first disbursement of such loan.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-16 00:00:00

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 tax payer identification number to be used in place of a social security number in the application.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-16 00:00:00

American Dream Promise Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the eligibility requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) to participate in federal student aid programs.

Specifically, an IHE that participates in title IV federal student aid programs must not deny admission to a student on the basis of that student's immigration or naturalization status.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-20 00:00:00

Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to use tax information from the second preceding tax year (the "prior, prior year") to determine a student's financial aid eligibility. It requires data sharing between ED and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), pursuant to taxpayer consent.

(Sec. 3) The bill revises the annual adjustment percentage calculation used to determine the total maximum Federal Pell Grant award by measuring inflation over the most recent fiscal year instead of calendar year.

(Sec. 4) ED must develop and maintain a consumer-tested technology tool to allow a federal financial aid applicant to complete, save, and submit electronic forms (e.g., the Free Application for Federal Student Aid) using a mobile device.

Additionally, ED must make every effort to allow applicants to utilize the existing IRS data tool to automatically populate the electronic forms with tax return information.

ED must report to Congress on: (1) efforts to simplify the federal financial aid application process, and (2) the needs of limited English proficient students.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-20 00:00:00

Accessing Higher Education Opportunities Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends title V (Developing Institutions) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand grant activities under the Hispanic Serving Institutions program to include: (1) support programs that facilitate student advancement to doctoral degree programs in health care occupations, and (2) developing or expanding access to dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college high school programs.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-20 00:00:00

HBCU Capital Financing Improvement Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends title III (Institutional Aid) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the HBCU Capital Financing Program. [The program guarantees low-cost private loans to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to finance infrastructure repairs, maintenance, and construction.]

It replaces statutory references to "escrow account" with "bond insurance fund."

(Sec. 3) The bill authorizes the Department of Education to provide financial counseling that prepares an eligible HBCU to qualify for, apply for, and maintain a capital improvement loan.

(Sec. 4) It revises and expands reporting requirements for the HBCU Capital Financing Advisory Board.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-22 00:00:00

Student Loan Interest Rate Parity Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to reduce the interest rates on Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Direct PLUS Loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2016.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Date: 2016-06-24 00:00:00

University Regulation Streamlining and Harmonization Act of 2016

This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a Research Policy Board to review proposed federal regulations, as well as major policies and guidance governing the conduct of scientific and engineering research, at specified research institutions.

The President shall appoint an Associate Administrator for the Academic Research Enterprise from within the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, who shall serve as a liaison between such office and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

OMB shall exempt prime grant-receiving institutions from the monitoring of a subrecipient's single audit of institutional systems and business practices if certain circumstances exist. A single audit is an audit of a non-federal entity that includes its financial statements and federal awards.

The threshold for purchases by research institutions using federal grant funds without requiring competitive quotations shall be at least $10,000.

The OSTP shall establish a working group within the National Science and Technology Council to coordinate federal research funding agency policies in developing a central database of researcher information for research institutions to use when applying for research grants from federal scientific funding agencies.

OMB shall periodically review estimates of the hours spent by research institutions in meeting the burdens imposed by federal research funding agencies under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 is amended to require the interagency public access committee to examine the procedures of federal science agencies in furnishing public access to the results of federally funded research and identify methods for reducing the burdens of compliance placed on those affected by agency public access policies.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-06-28 00:00:00

This bill permits veterans to use Department of Veterans Affairs post-9/11 educational assistance for an accredited independent study program (including open circuit television) at an educational institution that is an area career and technical education school or a postsecondary vocational school providing postsecondary level education.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-07-01 00:00:00

Underwater Student Borrowers Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the exclusion from gross income of income attributable to the discharge of student loan indebtedness, to: (1) include indebtedness discharged due to income-contingent and income-based repayment plans, the death or disability of the borrower, or the closing of an educational institution; and (2) revise the definition of "student loan" to mean a loan made by any lender, including a loan for the refinancing of an existing loan.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-05 00:00:00

Grace Period Alleviation Act or the GPA Act

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow a borrower of a Federal Direct Stafford Loan (whether subsidized or unsubsidized) to elect a one-year grace period before beginning repayment on the loan.

The Department of Education, through a loan modification process, must pay to each borrower who received a Federal Direct Stafford Loan for which the first disbursement was made between July 1, 2012, and July 1, 2014, an amount equal to the amount of interest that accrued on the loan prior to the beginning of the repayment period.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-08 00:00:00

Coding Technology Improvements Act

This bill amends title VII (Graduate and Postsecondary Improvement Programs) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify provisions related to grants under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) program.

Specifically, this bill expands the areas of national need for FIPSE program special project grants to include support for innovative technology partnerships between institutions of higher education and nontraditional providers that offer education programs on coding, high-technology software, or computer science.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-08 00:00:00

Promoting Readiness through Early Pell Act of 2016 or the PREP Act of 2016

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 by allowing a Federal Pell Grant to be awarded to a student who is dually or concurrently enrolled at a public institution of higher education and a secondary school.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-07-12 00:00:00

Fair Treatment of Scholarships Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the provision which excludes from the gross income of a student any amount that is received as a qualified scholarship used for qualified tuition and related expenses.

The bill expands the exclusion to: (1) permit the scholarship to be used for room and board costs for which there is an allowance under the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (2) to specify that "qualified tuition and related expenses" include fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for research at the educational organization.

The amount included in qualified tuition and related expenses for research not required for a course of instruction may not exceed $300 per year, adjusted for inflation after 2016.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-13 00:00:00

Letter of Estimated Annual Debt for Students Act of 2016 or the LEADS Act of 2016

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 by requiring institutions of higher education to provide to each student with education loans for attending the institution an estimate of student loan borrowing costs, including: (1) the cumulative balance of education loans owed by the student, (2) the amount of new education loans expected to be disbursed during the year, (3) the projected cumulative balance of education loans that will be owed by the student after the student graduates, and (4) projected monthly payments to repay the loans. The estimates must be given to students before each academic year succeeding the one for which a loan was first received.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-13 00:00:00

Degrees Not Debt Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a federal-state partnership to promote state investment in public higher education.

It directs the Department of Education to award matching block grants to states to reduce tuition costs and support the enrollment, retention, and degree completion of low-income students at public institutions of higher education. A state that receives a grant must waive any unmet financial need for certain low-income students, maintain or increase per-student operating support, maintain state-based financial aid levels, and limit tuition increases at public institutions of higher education.

The bill prohibits the use of grant funds to increase an institution's endowment or to modernize, renovate, or repair athletic facilities.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-07-13 00:00:00

Pell Grant Flexibility Act of 2016

 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant awarded under the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

File Once FAFSA Act of 2016

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process for low-income students applying for Federal Pell Grants. Specifically, the bill allows dependent students to apply for aid once. Thus, students who receive Pell Grants need not apply again in subsequent years, unless they become independent of their family.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Standardization of Collegiate Oversight of Revenues and Expenditures Act or the SCORE Act

 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each coeducational institution of higher education (IHE) that is participating in a title IV program and has an intercollegiate athletic program to include in its annual report on its intercollegiate athletic program: (1) the amount of revenue generated by each item on a list of categorized sources, disaggregated by each sports team; and (2) the expenses attributable to each item on a list of categorized activities or obligations, disaggregated by each sports team.

The bill prohibits an IHE from being a member of any intercollegiate athletic association or participating in any national intercollegiate athletics competition organized by any person, unless the association or person annually reports and disaggregates by sport, athletic event, or contract, as applicable: (1) the total generated revenue and amount of revenue generated by each item on a list of categorized sources, (2) the amount of expenses attributable to each item on a list of categorized activities or obligations, and (3) executive compensation schedules.

The Department of Education (ED) must: (1) define the categories of information that must be reported; and (2) biannually review and, as necessary, update each definition in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles or significant changes in the national system of intercollegiate athletics.

ED must: (1) appoint a task force made up of representatives from division I, II, and III schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and (2) consult with the task force when reviewing or updating the definitions.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Match Veterans to Student Loan Protections Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the federal student loan discharge process for a veteran who has a total and permanent disability.

Specifically, it directs the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a computer matching program for ED to identify the borrowers who have been assigned a service-connected disability rating of 100% by the VA.

ED must notify such borrowers of their eligibility for federal student loan discharge and provide simple instructions for applying.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Transparency in Student Lending Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand disclosure requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in the Direct Loan program. Specifically, it requires an IHE to disclose, in federal student loan application materials, the annual percentage rate applicable to a Direct Loan.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act of 2016 

This bill authorizes the Department of State to carry out, in cooperation with the government of India, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative comprised of educational, scholarly, and professional exchange programs, including:

 an annual public diplomacy forum for scholars from the United States and India that focuses on the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.; a professional development training initiative for government employees to develop international conflict solutions based on the principles of nonviolence developed in consultation with the president and chief executive officer of the United States Institute of Peace, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the Department of State, and U.S. cooperating partners; and an undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate student exchange for students to study the history and legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi, visit historic sites in India and the United States that were integral to the American civil rights movement and the Indian independence movement, and research and develop papers on the importance of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation in current conflict regions.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Know Your Repayment Options Act

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to annually give federal student loan borrowers who have graduated or departed from school detailed information, including monthly amount and lifetime payment amount, for each repayment option available to the borrower. To provide this individualized information to borrowers, ED must establish a process for annual verification of the borrower's annual income and the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on federal loans. Borrowers may opt out of being provided this information.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Strengthening Forgiveness for Public Servants Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on a William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan made after this bill's enactment. (Currently, the balance of a borrower's Direct Loan is canceled if the borrower is not in default and has made 120 monthly payments on such loan while employed as a public service employee.)

The bill: (1) requires borrowers availing themselves of such loan cancellation to submit an employment certification form that includes self-certification of employment and employer certification of employment dates, and (2) places the borrower's loan in deferment during the period in which the borrower is employed in an eligible public service job if the borrower submits such form to ED.

If a portion of a loan is canceled for any year, the interest on such loan for such year shall be canceled.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-09-08 00:00:00

Streamlining Income-driven, Manageable Payments on Loans for Education Act or the SIMPLE Act

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the process for enrolling a borrower in federal student loan repayment plans when the borrower is delinquent on payments for student loans under the Direct Loan program. Specifically, the Department of Education (ED) may use the tax information of certain delinquent borrowers for purposes of calculating their income-driven repayment plan options. ED must notify those borrowers about their delinquency and repayment plan options. ED must also establish and implement procedures for automatically recertifying the income of certain delinquent borrowers for the purpose of determining their repayment obligations.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-09-08 00:00:00

Campus Gun Policy Transparency Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify campus security reporting requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student aid programs.

Currently, an IHE must annually report certain crime statistics in the following categories: (1) criminal offenses; (2) criminal offenses motivated by bias (i.e., hate crimes); (3) domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; and (4) arrests and referrals for disciplinary action. This bill expands the categories of reportable crime statistics to also include criminal offenses in which a firearm was present at the scene of the crime.

Additionally, it requires an IHE to include, in its annual security report provided to students and employees, a statement of its current policy on concealed carry or open carry of firearms.

An IHE must also disclose that policy on its website and in promotional materials.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-09-08 00:00:00

Campus Sexual Assault Whistleblower Protection Act of 2016

 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit the suspension of federal student aid eligibility for a student who: (1) admits, in a sexual assault report, unlawful consumption of a controlled substance or alcohol; and (2) is convicted of a drug offense involving controlled substance possession based on conduct described in such admission.

The bill also modifies eligibility requirements for an institution of higher education (IHE) to participate in federal student aid programs. Specifically, it prohibits an IHE from taking a retaliatory action (e.g., suspension or expulsion) against an enrolled student who reports a sexual assault and admits, in such report: (1) sexual activity, or (2) unlawful consumption of a controlled substance or alcohol. An IHE must annually inform enrolled students that such retaliatory action is prohibited.
Topic: Education — Higher
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-09-13 00:00:00

Protecting Our Veterans From School Closures Act

This bill declares that if, as a result of a permanent school closure, a veteran is forced to discontinue a course or did not receive credit, or lost training time, toward completion of the education program, Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance payments for such discontinued course or program shall not be: (1) charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance, or (2) counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided.

The bill applies to courses and programs of education discontinued after August 1, 2016.

Certain reporting fees paid to educational institutions furnishing veterans education or training shall be reduced for the 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2017.