zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Simplifying Access to Student Loan Information Act of 2015

Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require private educational lenders to submit to the Secretary of Education information regarding each private education loan they make.

Requires that such information: (1) be placed in the National Student Loan Data System (System), and (2) allow for the electronic exchange of data between the borrowers of those loans and the System. (The System currently contains information regarding loans made, insured, or guaranteed under the Federal Family Education Loan program and loans made under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan and Federal Perkins Loan programs.)

Requires the private education loan information to include, if determined appropriate by the Secretary:

 the total amount and type of each loan; the interest rate on each loan; information regarding the borrower that the Secretary deems necessary to ensure the electronic exchange of data between the borrower and the System; contact information regarding the lender and servicer of each loan; information concerning the date of any default on the loan and the collection of the loan, including any information concerning the repayment status of any defaulted loan; and the date the borrower completes repayment. Requires private educational lenders to ensure the privacy of borrowers and update the loan information they submit to the System on the same schedule as information is updated under the System.

Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary to ensure that: (1) a cosigner of a private education loan for which information is included in the System has access only to that information, and (2) a private educational lender has access to the System only to submit information regarding the lender's loans.

Directs the Secretary to establish a functionality within the System that enables student borrowers of loans made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV to input the information necessary to compare the repayment plans available to them under that title.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Career Ready Act of 2015

Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to include certain career readiness indicators in their determination as to whether students are making adequate yearly progress toward state academic performance standards.

Allows states to include on their annual report cards on student progress toward those standards:

 the number and percentage of their public secondary school students who attain state and local adjusted levels of career and technical education performance, as defined by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006; the number and percentage of their public secondary school students that attain a recognized postsecondary credential, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; and high school graduation, enrollment, remediation, persistence, and completion rates. Requires local educational agencies awarded a grant for elementary and secondary school counseling programs under part D of title V of the ESEA to use the funds for additional activities that include:

 developing and implementing comprehensive school counseling programs that are aligned with their grant applications; identifying regional workforce trends, in collaboration with entities experienced in identifying such trends, and enabling school counselor programs at the secondary school level to access that data; training counselors to effectively provide labor market information to secondary school students; developing and implementing integrated, job-embedded, and ongoing professional development programs for educators who prepare students for postsecondary opportunities and careers; and developing personalized learning plans for each student that map a defined program of study based on the student's academic and career goals.

Date: 2015-02-12
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Supporting Academic Freedom through Regulatory Relief Act

Repeals certain Department of Education (ED) regulations that for purposes of determining whether a school is eligible to participate in programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA): (1) require institutions of higher education (IHEs) and postsecondary vocational institutions (except religious schools) to be legally authorized by the state in which they are situated, (2) delineate what such legal authorization requires of states and schools, (3) impose standards and disclosure requirements on programs that prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation, and (4) define "credit hour."

Prohibits ED from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule not in effect on the date of this Act's enactment regarding: (1) the state authorization for IHEs to operate within a state, (2) the definition or application of the term "gainful employment," or (3) a teacher preparation program accountability system. Ends that prohibition when a law is enacted that extends by at least two fiscal years the authorization or duration of one or more programs under the HEA.

Prohibits ED from promulgating or enforcing any regulation or rule that defines "credit hour" for any purpose under the HEA.

Prohibits ED from carrying out, developing, refining, promulgating, publishing, implementing, administering, or enforcing a postsecondary institution ratings system or any other performance system to rate IHEs.

Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the HEA to authorize nonprofit IHEs to make payments to third-party entities for services that include student recruitment and are based on the amount of tuition that the IHE generates from student enrollment if the third-party entity: (1) is not affiliated with the IHE, (2) does not provide incentive payments to its employees for their success in enrolling students or securing financial aid for them, (3) is not paid by the IHE solely or separately for student recruitment services, and (4) will not make student recruitment information available to any other person or entity.

Date: 2015-02-25
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
American Dream Accounts Act

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities so each can establish and administer American Dream Accounts for a group of at least 30 low-income public school students who, at the time the entities apply for a grant, are attending a grade no higher than ninth grade.

Lists as eligible entities: (1) state educational agencies; (2) local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that operate as their own LEA; (3) charter management organizations or charter school authorizers; (4) institutions of higher education (IHEs) or Tribal Colleges or Universities; (5) nonprofit organizations; (6) entities experienced in educational savings or assisting low-income students attain higher education; (7) consortia of two or more of these entities; and (8) consortia of one or more of these entities and a public, charter, or Indian school.

Describes an American Dream Account as a personal online account for low-income students that monitors their progress toward higher education and includes a college savings account.

Requires American Dream Accounts to provide students with opportunities, either online or in person, to: (1) attain financial literacy; (2) learn about preparing for enrollment in an IHE; and (3) identify their skills or interests, including career interests.

Requires grantees, subject to federal privacy laws and regulations, to allow vested stakeholders to have secure Internet access to an American Dream Account, but not the college savings account portion of that Account.

Prohibits grantees from using their grant to provide the initial deposit into the college savings account portion of a student's American Dream Account.

Prohibits the funds in those college savings accounts from being considered in making federal student financial aid determinations.

Date: 2015-03-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Survivor Outreach and Support Campus Act or the SOS Campus Act

Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in the programs under title IV (Student Assistance) to designate an independent advocate for campus sexual assault prevention and response (Advocate) with experience in providing sexual assault victim services.

Directs the Secretary of Education to prescribe regulations for IHEs to follow in appointing Advocates.

Requires each Advocate to: (1) report to an individual outside the body responsible for investigating and adjudicating sexual assault complaints at the IHE, (2) submit to such individual an annual report summarizing how the resources supplied to the Advocate were used, and (3) represent the interests of each student victim even when they conflict with the IHE's interests.

Directs each Advocate to:

 ensure that sexual assault victims at the IHE receive, with their consent, specified information and services; guide sexual assault victims who request assistance through the reporting, counseling, administrative, medical and health, academic accommodations, or legal processes of the IHE or local law enforcement; attend, at the request of a sexual assault victim, any administrative or IHE-based adjudication proceeding related to such assault as an advocate for the victim; maintain the privacy and confidentiality of the victim and any witness to such sexual assault, without notifying the IHE or any other authority of the identity of the victim or of any such witness or the alleged circumstances surrounding the reported sexual assault, unless otherwise required to do so by state law; and conduct a public information campaign to inform the students enrolled at the IHE of the existence of, contact information for, and services provided by the Advocate. Prohibits IHEs from retaliating against: (1) Advocates for representing the interests of a student victims, or (2) student victims for reporting sexual assaults to Advocates.

Date: 2015-03-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Investing in States to Achieve Tuition Equality for Dreamers Act of 2015 or the IN-STATE for Dreamers Act of 2015

Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to allot grants to states to offer Dreamer students in-state tuition and expand their access to in-state financial aid.

Defines a "Dreamer student" as an individual who:

 was under age 16 upon entering this country; has provided a list of each secondary school the individual attended in this country; and has earned a high school diploma or certain similar credentials, or is scheduled to complete the requirements for such a credential before the next academic year begins; has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education (IHE) or has successfully completed at least 2 years of a program for a baccalaureate or higher degree in the United States and has made satisfactory academic progress; is a beneficiary of the Deferrred Action for Childhood Arrivals program; or has served honorably in the uniformed services for at least 4 years. Directs the Secretary to provide for a hardship exception to either or both of the first two of such requirements.

Requires grant applicants to assure the Secretary that they: (1) will not discriminate against Dreamer students in awarding student aid or determining who is eligible for in-state tuition, if the student would otherwise be eligible for in-state financial aid as a state resident; and (2) will maintain, through FY 2025, at least their FY2013 level of support for their public IHEs, as adjusted for inflation.

Allots grants to each state based on its proportion of resident Dreamer students who are enrolled at least half-time in postsecondary education.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to collect a specified fee from recipients of F-1 visas, provided to nonimmigrant full-time students.

Eliminates the prohibition on states offering unlawful aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state that are more generous than those offered citizens or naturals of this country, without regard to their state residence.

Allows individuals who have served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces to be naturalized without having been lawfully admitted to this country for permanent residence.

Date: 2015-03-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Preservation Research at Institutions Serving Minorities Act of 2015 or the PRISM Act of 2015

Makes Hispanic-serving institutions eligible for technical and financial assistance from the Secretary of the Interior to establish preservation training and degree programs.

Date: 2015-03-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Innovate America Act

 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED), in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), to award grants, on a competitive basis, to state educational agencies to establish or expand the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science (STEM) secondary schools in the United States from approximately 100 to approximately 200.

In coordination with the NSF, ED shall:

 develop a database identifying existing STEM secondary schools, and study how to improve retention rates of students in STEM programs at institutions of higher education. The President must ensure that at least 15% of all federal funds available each fiscal year for undergraduate research opportunities at 2-year and 4-year degree-granting institutions of higher education are used to fund research opportunities for postsecondary students.

The NSF Partnerships for Innovation Program shall administer a Technology Commercialization Awards Pilot Program through which promising technology advances derived from NSF research grants must be eligible for funding.

The National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 is amended to extend the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to cover specifically informatics and computer science.

The Department of Commerce must establish a manufacturing assistance program for small and medium-sized domestic manufacturers to promote the manufacturing of goods in the United States and enable them to be competitive in global markets.

The Under Secretary for International Trade of Commerce shall report to Congress on the global competitiveness of 20 U.S. industries that export the most goods or services and the domestic and foreign regulatory and policy barriers to increasing their exports.

This bill also requires:

 the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to devise a strategy to reduce overall government printing costs over a 10-year period, each federal department and agency to issue guidance on the appropriate use of award and incentive fees in their programs, and return to the Treasury of any funds intended to be awarded as incentive fees to contractors that are not paid owing to contractor inability to meet established criteria in this Act.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

(Sec. 1) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments received by a student under a comprehensive student work-learning-service program operated by a work college. Makes this amendment applicable to amounts received in taxable years beginning after the enactment date of this Act.

(Sec. 2) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 30% to 35% the rate of the continuous levy on payments to Medicare providers and suppliers for unpaid taxes. Makes this amendment applicable to payments made after 180 days after the enactment date of this Act.

Date: 2015-04-14
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations to make collegiate housing and infrastructure improvement grants to certain tax-exempt social clubs (e.g., college fraternities and sororities) which apply such grants to their collegiate housing property.

Date: 2015-04-16
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Wounded Warrior Workforce Enhancement Act

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to award grants to eligible institutions to: (1) establish a master's degree program in orthotics and prosthetics, or (2) expand upon an existing master's degree program in such area. Requires a grant priority for institutions in partnership with a medical center administered by the VA or a facility administered by the Department of Defense. Provides grant amounts of at least $1 million and up to $1.5 million. Defines as eligible institutions those either accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education or demonstrating an ability to meet such accreditation requirements if receiving a grant.

Requires the Secretary to award a grant to an institution with orthotic and prosthetic research and education experience to: (1) establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and Prosthetic Education; and (2) improve orthotic and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and civilians by conducting orthotic and prosthetic-based research.

Date: 2015-04-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
GI Education Benefit Fairness Act of 2015

Expands the definition of "children," for purposes of provisions allowing members or former members of the uniformed services who served on active duty for specified periods beginning on or after September 11, 2001, to transfer their entitlement to educational assistance, to mean an unmarried person who: (1) is placed in the legal custody of a member or former member by court order for at least 12 consecutive months, (2) has not attained the age of 21, (3) has not attained the age of 23 and is enrolled in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher learning, (4) is incapable of self support due to a mental or physical incapacity that occurred while such person was a dependent of the member or former member, (5) is dependent on the member or former member for over one-half of his or her support, (6) resides with the member or former member unless separated due to military service or institutionalization for a disability or incapacitation, and (7) is not a dependent of a member or former member under any other provision defining dependent.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Protect Student Borrowers Act of 2015

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program to accept specified risk-sharing requirements.

 For any fiscal year in which at least 25% of the IHE's student body is participating in the Direct Loan program, the IHE must remit a risk-sharing payment (a percentage of the total amount of its defaulted Direct Loans) that declines as the cohort default rate declines.

 If an IHE develops and implements an approved student loan management plan that includes individualized financial aid counseling for students and strategies to minimize student loan default and delinquency, the Department of Education (ED) must modify the risk-sharing requirements. ED may waive or reduce an IHE's risk-sharing payments in certain other instances.

 An IHE may not deny admission or financial aid based on a perception that a student may be at risk for defaulting on a Direct Loan.

 ED may enter into contracts or cooperative agreements for: (1) statewide or institutionally-based programs for the prevention of federal student loan delinquency and default at IHEs that have a high cohort default rate or serve large numbers of students who have a higher risk of defaulting on student loans under title IV, and (2) increasing the number of borrowers who successfully rehabilitate defaulted loans.

Risk-sharing payments are to be deposited in a separate account in the Treasury and used as follows: (1) up to 50% for ED to enter into the contracts or cooperative agreements for delinquency and default prevention or rehabilitation, and (2) the remainder to offset any future shortfalls in funding under the Federal Pell Grant program.

An IHE's ability to meet its obligation to make risk-sharing payments shall be part of the determination of its eligibility to participate in title IV programs.

Date: 2015-04-27
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Go to High School, Go to College Act of 2015

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education to carry out (from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2021) a program awarding Early College Federal Pell Grants to students to support their enrollment in, and completion of, postsecondary courses offered through early college high schools.

Students who would be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant if not for their enrollment in secondary school are deemed eligible for an Early College Federal Pell Grant upon their completion of a full-time postsecondary semester or its equivalent.

Students may receive Early College Federal Pell Grants in an amount equal to the cost of not more than four full-time postsecondary semesters or the equivalent while enrolled in postsecondary courses offered by an early college high school.

Early College Federal Pell Grants shall count toward the 12-semester, or equivalent, limit on a student's receipt of Federal Pell Grants.

Date: 2015-04-28
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Early Pell Promise Act

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Department of Education to carry out a program of grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) under which a student who is in eighth grade and is eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act may be provided a commitment to receive a Federal Pell Grant early in the student's academic career.

Pursuant to such a commitment, the student receives a Pell Grant during the first two years of attendance at an institution of higher education (IHE) as an undergraduate if the student:

 files the FAFSA form during the senior year of secondary school and the succeeding year, and enrolls at the IHE not later than three years after receiving a secondary school diploma or after release from the Armed Forces. A student may not receive the early Pell Grant for a succeeding year if the expected family contribution for either year is more than twice the threshold amount for Pell Grant eligibility for that year.

Funds are reserved for an independent evaluation of the program's impact.

In order to participate in the program, an SEA must develop a targeted information campaign and include in the plan for that campaign cost data disaggregated by institution type and information on both state and federal financial aid.

Date: 2015-04-29
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act

 This bill makes any institution of higher education (IHE) postsecondary program designed to prepare students for a recognized occupation or profession requiring licensing or other entry pre-conditions ineligible to participate in a federal financial assistance program, unless it meets specified student consumer protection requirements within one year after this Act's enactment.

Each program must: (1) fully prepare students to satisfy those entry pre-conditions in the metropolitan statistical areas and states in which the students reside and in any state the program claims a successful program graduate will be prepared to work in the particular occupation or profession involved; and (2) provide timely placement of students in required pre-licensure positions, such as clinical placements, internships, or apprenticeships.

The bill requires the Department of Education to promulgate regulations regarding pre-accredited IHE programs to: (1) impose consumer protection requirements that are consistent with those this Act imposes on accredited programs, and (2) condition an IHE's participation in any federal financial assistance program on the IHE signing a loan discharge agreement with each student who is enrolled in any pre-accredited program.

Date: 2015-04-30
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify reporting requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in title IV federal financial aid programs. Currently, to retain title IV eligibility, IHEs must report data to the Department of Education (ED) through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

This bill requires IHEs to submit additional student enrollment data to ED to enable coding and reporting on students' level of academic preparation. It also requires ED to calculate additional outcome measures by institution and program, including:

 the percentage of students who receive federal, state, or institutional grants or loans; the average amount of federal loan debt upon graduation; the average amount of total federal loan debt of students who do not complete a program of study; student transfer rates; rates of continuation to higher levels of education; and the percentage of students who receive the degree they initially sought. ED must report additional outcome measures established by this Act, as well as all existing student data in IPEDS, based on these student types:

 receipt or non-receipt of federal Pell Grants, receipt or non-receipt of Stafford Loans,  participation in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program, enrollment status, and enrollment intensity. ED must also, in cooperation with the Social Security Administration, make publicly available data on employment metrics and median annual earnings 2 years, 6 years, and 15 years after program completion. ED must report the data by:

 education program, credential received, institution, and state of employment.

Date: 2015-05-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veterans Education Priority Enrollment Act of 2015

Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or a state approving agency from approving a program of education offered by an educational institution for purposes of an educational assistance program for veterans or members of the Selected Reserve or the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces unless any such institution that administers a priority enrollment system allows an eligible veteran, member, or dependent to enroll in courses at the earliest possible time.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Federal Adjustment in Reporting Student Credit Act of 2015 or the FAIR Student Credit Act of 2015 

Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to allow a person to request the removal of a previously reported default regarding a qualified education loan from a consumer report if: (1) the lender chooses to offer a loan rehabilitation program that requires a number of consecutive on-time monthly payments equal to the number of payments specified in a default reduction program under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and (2) the consumer of such loan successfully and voluntarily meets the requirements of that loan rehabilitation program.

Permits a consumer to obtain such rehabilitation benefits only once per loan.

Requires the Government Accountability Office to report on any hurdles borrowers experience with the private loan rehabilitation program.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution (EFC) used to determine financial need in the case of a Pell Grant-eligible student whose parent or guardian died in the line of duty as a police officer, firefighter, or other public safety officer. Such student is eligible to receive an automatic zero EFC and qualify for the maximum Pell Grant award if the student was less than 24 years old or enrolled at an institution of higher education at the time of the parent or guardian's death. (Sec. 4) It specifies procedures for determining the budgetary effects of this bill for compliance with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010.

Date: 2015-05-14
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
College for All Act

This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to states to eliminate tuition and required fees at public institutions of higher education (IHEs).

It also amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to:

 modify provisions related to interest rates on federal student loans to revise rates applicable to new loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2015; allow student loan borrowers to modify interest rates on outstanding federal student loans to current rates; reauthorize the Federal Work Study program for FY2016-FY2020; eliminate existing base guarantees of Federal Work Study funds to IHEs and require funds to be allocated based solely on the aggregate need of the institution’s students; authorize ED to establish a pilot program to streamline the federal financial assistance application process and reduce the need for students to apply for financial assistance each year; and require ED to use tax information from the second preceding tax year (the “prior, prior year”) to determine a student’s financial aid eligibility. Inclusive Prosperity Act of 2015

To offset the cost, this bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a transaction tax on certain securities transfers. An individual taxpayer whose modified adjusted gross income does not exceed $50,000 ($75,000 for married taxpayers filing joint returns) is eligible for a tax credit for the amount of tax paid on covered transactions.

Date: 2015-05-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Andrew Prior Act or Andrew's Law

This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to discharge the repayment obligations of the estate of a borrower and any cosigner of a private educational loan if the borrower dies.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) must develop necessary and appropriate safeguards to prevent fraud and abuse in the discharge of those obligations.

The CFPB may promulgate regulations to reinstate those obligations in any case in which it determines that doing so is necessary to protect the public interest.

Date: 2015-05-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Higher Education Tax Benefit Compliance Improvement Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exempt an institution of higher education from tax penalties for failure to provide the tax identification number (TIN) of a person who claims a tax credit for tuition and related expenses if such institution certifies that it has complied with standards for obtaining the TIN, and (2) disallow the American Opportunity tax credit and the tax deduction for tuition and related expenses unless the taxpayer receives a payee statement containing the TIN of the individual claiming the credit or the deduction.

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.)

Need-Based Educational Aid Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 to extend through FY2022 the antitrust exemption that allows institutions of higher education that admit all students on a need-blind basis to enter or attempt to enter into agreements among themselves regarding the administration of need-based financial aid.

The bill also, however, repeals the permission for these institutions to exchange through an independent third party, before awarding financial aid to any of the students, data submitted by the student, his or her family, or a financial institution on their behalf relating to assets, liabilities, income, expenses, the number of family members, and the number of the student's siblings in college, if each of the institutions is permitted to retrieve the data only once with respect to the student.

Date: 2015-06-02
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Commerce
Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act of 2015

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to treat part-time teachers as public service employees, for purposes of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan forgiveness program for public service employees, if they: (1) teach at least one course at an institution of higher education, a postsecondary vocational institution, or a Tribal College or University; and (2) do not have another full-time job. (Public service employees must make 120 monthly payments on such loans as public service employees to qualify for Direct Loan forgiveness under the program.)

Date: 2015-06-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Servicemember Student Loan Affordability Act of 2015

Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the 6% interest rate limitation on debt entered into during a servicemember's military service to any debt entered into to consolidate or refinance one or more student loans incurred before such service.

Date: 2015-06-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military and Veterans Education Protection Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require proprietary institutions of higher education to derive at least 10% of their revenue from sources other than federal educational assistance, or risk becoming ineligible for title IV funding. Federal educational assistance includes title IV federal student aid and federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans. Currently, this so-called 90/10 rule requires proprietary institutions to derive at least 10% of their revenue from sources other than title IV federal student aid, but it allows federal educational assistance for military personnel and veterans to count toward the 10%.

Date: 2015-06-24
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2015

 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Department of Education (ED) to provide for the use of 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 the Internal Revenue Service and ED, pursuant to taxpayer consent.

 The bill also increases from $23,000 to $30,000 the adjusted gross income threshold used to determine whether a student qualifies for an automatic zero expected family contribution (EFC) in the calculation of such student's financial need. A dependent student is eligible for an automatic zero EFC if the student's parents have adjusted gross income up to $30,000. An independent student with non-spouse dependents is eligible for a zero EFC if the student and spouse have adjusted gross income up to $30,000.

Date: 2015-07-27
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2015 or the JOBS Act of 2015 This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Job Training Federal Pell Grant Program. The Department of Education must award job training Federal Pell Grants to eligible students.

An eligible student is one who does not have a degree, attends an institution of higher education (IHE), is enrolled in a job training program at such IHE, and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant.

The maximum job training Federal Pell Grant award is 50% of the discretionary base maximum award specified in annual appropriations law.

Any period during which a student receives a job training Federal Pell Grant counts toward that student's Federal Pell Grant eligibility period.

Date: 2015-07-30
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act

 This bill amends the Higher Education Opportunity Act to prohibit an institution of higher education (IHE) or postsecondary educational institution from using revenues derived from federal educational assistance funds for recruiting or marketing activities.

Federal educational assistance funds include federal student aid under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, education benefits for military personnel and veterans, and grants for workforce development programs.

An IHE or postsecondary educational institution must annually certify compliance with this requirement to retain eligibility to participate in title IV federal student aid programs.

Date: 2015-07-30
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Career-Ready Student Veterans Act of 2015

This bill adds the following new criteria for state approval, for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance, of applications of educational institutions providing veterans with non-accredited courses:

 any program designed to prepare an individual for state licensure or certification must meet state instructional curriculum licensure or certification requirements, and any program designed to prepare an individual for employment pursuant to standards developed by a state board or agency in an occupation requiring approval or licensure must be approved or licensed by that state board or agency. The VA may waive either of these two requirements if:

 the educational institution is accredited by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of Education; the program did not meet the requirements at any time during the two-year period preceding the waiver date; the waiver furthers the purposes of the educational assistance programs or would further the education interests of individuals eligible for assistance under such programs; and the educational institution does not provide any incentive payment based on securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities engaged in student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance, except for recruitment of foreign students residing in foreign countries who are ineligible for federal student assistance. The criteria added by this Act also apply to approval of accredited courses at for-profit educational institutions.

 The VA shall disapprove a course of education added by this Act unless the educational institution providing the course publicly discloses any conditions or additional requirements, including training, experience, or exams, required to obtain the license, certification, or approval for which the course of education is designed to provide preparation.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Student Protection and Success Act 

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to make institutions of higher education with low cohort repayment rates ineligible to participate in the federal student loan program and to establish a risk-sharing program to support institutions serving low- and moderate-income students.

The cohort repayment rate is the percentage of borrowers who pay at least one dollar toward the principal of their federal loans over a three-year period. It excludes borrowers who are in default, deferments, mandatory forbearance on repayment of a loan, or the Peace Corps.

Institutions with rates equal to or less than the cut-off rate are ineligible to participate in the federal student loan program under title IV of the HEA for three years. During the first year the bill is in effect, the cut-off rate is 45%. In subsequent years, the rate is the higher of the previous year's rate or 10% below the national average for the same type of institution, but must be below 70%. Institutions may appeal the loss of eligibility within 30 days of being notified by the Department of Education (ED).

The bill requires ED to award grants to institutions with a strong record of supporting low- and moderate-income students and funds the grants by requiring institutions with certain nonrepayment loan balances to make risk-sharing payments.

The institutions may use the grants to increase college access and success for the students using investments and practices such as: awarding additional need-based financial aid, enhancing academic and student support services, and accelerated learning opportunities.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Income-Based Repayment Debt Forgiveness Act

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, income imputed from the discharge of student loan indebtedness pursuant to a federal program that provides for income contingent or income-based repayment of such loan.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Access to Fair Financial Options for Repaying Debt Act of 2015 or the AFFORD Act

This bill terminates existing federal student loan repayment plan options for borrowers of federal Direct Loan (DL) program loans issued on or after July 1, 2016.

It amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish two new repayment plan options.

First, the bill creates a new version of the income-based repayment (IBR) plan that includes capping monthly payments at 10% of discretionary income, setting a 20-year maximum repayment period, broadening eligible borrowers to include borrowers without a partial financial hardship, and expanding qualifying loans to include parent PLUS loans and consolidation loans that repay parent PLUS loans.

Second, it establishes a fixed repayment plan in which an enrolled borrower makes fixed monthly payments over a maximum repayment period of 10, 15, 20, or 25 years depending on the total federal loan balance at repayment.

A borrower of a DL program loan issued on or after July 1, 2016, must enroll in the new IBR or fixed repayment plan. A borrower repaying a DL or Federal Family Education Loan program loan issued before July 1, 2016, may retain enrollment in the existing repayment plan or elect to enroll in the new IBR or fixed repayment plan.

This bill requires an institution of higher education that participates in federal student aid programs to: (1) provide, as part of entrance counseling, information on the new IBR and fixed repayment plan options; (2) offer voluntary annual loan counseling to each enrolled student who is known to have one or more student loans; and (3) explain, during exit counseling, a borrower's options to prepay a loan, accelerate a payment schedule, and change a repayment plan.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Christopher Bryski Student Loan Protection Act or Christopher's Law

This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a private student loan lender to disclose clearly and conspicuously in writing a cosigner's obligations regarding a private student loan. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) must publish a model form for such disclosure.

 The bill prohibits a private student loan lender from taking an adverse action against a borrower (e.g., placing a loan in default or accelerating a loan balance) upon a cosigner's death, disability, or bankruptcy. It also prohibits adverse actions against a cosigner for a borrower's death, disability, or bankruptcy.

 The CFPB must establish and a private student loan lender must disclose criteria for releasing a cosigner from a private student loan obligation.

A private student loan lender must also:

 provide prompt notice of a cosigner's release; allow a borrower to designate a legal representative to make decisions upon the death or disability of such borrower; and ensure a borrower and cosigner receive comprehensive counseling on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of a private student loan. Additionally, this bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the required elements of entrance counseling for a federal student loan borrower to include:

 conditions for loan discharge upon the death or disability of a borrower, options for loan repayment and forgiveness upon the death or disability of a borrower or cosigner, and obligations of a borrower or cosigner upon the death or disability of a borrower. It requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of a student's option to designate a legal representative to make decisions about a federal student loan upon such student's death or disability.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an unlimited tax deduction for student loan interest, (2) repeal the dollar limitation on the tax deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses and make such deduction permanent; (3) allow a carryover to succeeding taxable years of amounts of the deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses that exceed a taxpayer's taxable income; and (4) repeal the dollar limitation on contributions to a Coverdell Education Savings Account.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Creating Higher Education Affordability Necessary to Compete Economically Act or the Middle Class CHANCE Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify provisions related to the Federal Pell Grant program.

Specifically, it increases the maximum Federal Pell Grant award for academic year 2016-2017 and adjusts it in subsequent award years to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.

The bill also increases from one to two the number of Pell Grants an eligible student may receive in a single award year (i.e., it restores year-round Pell Grants). An eligible student is a student who has already received one Pell Grant for an award year and is enrolled in an eligible program for an additional payment period (e.g., a summer term) during the same award year. A student's total amount of Pell Grants must not exceed 150% of the maximum Pell Grant for that award year. Also, any period during which a student receives an additional Pell Grant counts toward that student's lifetime Pell Grant eligibility period.

The bill increases from 12 to 15 semesters a student's lifetime Federal Pell Grant eligibility period.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education