zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan that allows borrowers of Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) to limit their monthly payment on such loans to one-twelfth of 10% of the amount by which their adjusted gross income and that of their spouse (if applicable) exceeds 150% of the federal poverty level. Requires the Secretary of Education to determine a borrower's repayment obligation under that plan on a case-by-case basis if the repayment formula would result in the borrower paying nothing and the borrower is not in deferment due to an economic hardship. Establishes a 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program that provides FFEL and DL forgiveness to borrowers who, after the date that is 10 years before the date of this Act's enactment, have made 120 monthly payments under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan or under another repayment plan that required them to make payments at least as large as those they would have made under the 10/10 Loan Repayment Plan. Credits the months during which an individual is in deferment due to an economic hardship as months for which payment was made for purposes of the 10/10 Loan Forgiveness Program. Caps the amount of loan forgiveness that the program will provide to individuals who become new borrowers after this Act's enactment. Caps the interest rate on new DLs at 3.4% Amends the public service employee loan forgiveness program to forgive the DLs of participants who have made 60 (currently, 120) monthly payments on such loans pursuant to specified repayment plans. Includes primary care physicians in medically underserved areas in the public service employee loan forgiveness program. Allows certain borrowers to consolidate their private education loans as Direct Consolidation Loans, provided the private loans were made on or before the date of this Act's enactment. Limits such borrowers to those who: (1) were students eligible for unsubsidized Stafford loans or PLUS loans under the FFEL or DL programs for their enrollment at an institution of higher education, or would have been had they been enrolled on at least a half-time basis; (2) borrowed at least one private education loan for such enrollment; and (3) have an average adjusted gross income that does not exceed their total education debt. Caps the interest rate on those Direct Consolidation Loans at 3.4% Requires borrowers to apply for such loans within one year of this Act's enactment. Funds this Act's programs from funds available for Overseas Contingency Operations.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
American Dream Accounts Act of 2012 - 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, (3) charter schools, (4) institutions of higher education (IHEs), (5) nonprofit organizations, (6) entities experienced in educational savings or assisting low-income students attain higher education, and (7) consortia of two or more of these entities. 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 that provides some tax-preferred accumulation. 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: 2012-03-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Workforce-Ready Educate America Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a $1,000-per-student tax credit to employers who partner with educational institutions to provide skills training. Limits the amount of such credit to $3,000 in a taxable year.

Date: 2012-03-22
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Revamping the Education of our Veterans to Align Manufacturing through Partnerships with Community Colleges Act of 2012 or REVAMP with Community Colleges Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants to community colleges to: (1) analyze the demand for trained employees in their locality and the skills possessed by veterans who receive federal educational assistance and seek local employment, (2) provide those veterans with training that addresses local demand for trained employees, and (3) facilitate the establishment of an advisory board to provide guidance to the training program and assist trained veterans in their pursuit of local employment. Requires the advisory board to be composed of local business representatives and an employee from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Date: 2012-03-26
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Student Loan Grace Period Extension Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the grace period before payment must begin on Direct Stafford Loans from 6 months to 12 months after borrowers cease to carry at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload. Extends the federal interest subsidy on Direct Stafford Loans to all of the interest accrued on such loans before the loan repayment period begins. (Currently, the subsidy applies to all of the interest accrued before a borrower ceases to carry at least one-half the normal full-time academic workload.)

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veterans Work Study Opportunities Act - Makes permanent the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide a work-study allowance for certain activities of individuals receiving educational assistance through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). (Under current law, such authority extends only through the period preceding June 30, 2013.)

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require individuals who claim a tax credit for qualified tuition and related expenses under the Hope Scholarship tax credit or the Lifetime Learning tax credit to include their social security numbers on their tax returns, (2) require the educational institutions of such individuals to provide their employer identification numbers, and (3) make permanent the authority of the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose tax return information relating to inmates in federal or state prisons whom the Secretary has determined may have filed or facilitated the filing of a false tax return.

Date: 2012-04-17
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Higher Education Opportunity Act to prohibit postsecondary educational institutions from using revenues derived from federal educational assistance funds for: (1) advertising and promotion; (2) identifying and attracting prospective students; or (3) other activities the Secretary of Education may proscribe, such as paying for the promotion or sponsorship of education or military-related associations. Excepts from that prohibition activities that are required as a condition of receiving funds under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, specifically authorized under title IV, or otherwise specified by the Secretary.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to implement or expand research-based reforms in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to recruit and retain minority students who are underrepresented in STEM fields. Authorizes the use of such grants on reforms that include: (1) bridge, cohort, tutoring, or mentoring programs; (2) outreach to minority elementary and secondary school students; (3) faculty development and recognition programs; (4) efforts to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in the full gamut of STEM disciplines offered by IHEs; (5) efforts to increase and support their participation in research; and (6) support for the participation of minority graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in instructional or assessment activities at primarily undergraduate IHEs. Requires each grant to include an education research component so that reform efforts can be evaluated and, if shown to be effective, replicated to improve the participation of minority students in STEM fields at other schools. Requires the Director of the NSF to award competitive grants to IHEs to develop innovative reform efforts designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers.

Date: 2012-04-24
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Interest Rate Reduction Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, applicable to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013. Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to repeal provisions establishing and appropriating funds to the Prevention and Public Health Fund (a Fund to provide for expanded and sustained national investment in prevention and public health programs to improve health and help restrain the rate of growth in private and public sector health care costs). Rescinds any unobligated balances appropriated to such Fund.

Date: 2012-04-25
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Stop the Rate Hike Act of 2012 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, applicable to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2013. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny the major integrated oil companies the tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production of oil and gas.

Date: 2012-04-25
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Andrew P. Carpenter Tax Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from the gross income of any cosigner of a student loan of a veteran who died as a result of a service-connected disability any amount attributable to the discharge of the indebtedness on such loan, and (2) subject accounts in the Thrift Savings Fund to a federal tax levy. Provides that any potential revenue gain from the enactment of this Act shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury and shall be used solely for deficit reduction.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Student Loan Employment Benefits Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from the gross income of an employee amounts paid by an employer under a student loan payment assistance program. Limits the amount of such exclusion to $5,000 in a taxable year. Requires an employer student loan payment assistance program to be a separate written plan of an employer to provide employees with student loan payment assistance. 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.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Student Loan Interest Deduction Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the maximum tax deduction for interest paid on any qualified education loan to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return), and (2) repeal the limitation on such deduction based upon modified adjusted gross income. Makes permanent the elimination of the five-year limitation on such tax deduction.

Date: 2012-05-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Unshackling Students to Lead, Excel, Act, Develop, and Serve Act of 2012 or U.S. LEADS Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow recent college graduates to defer payment on their student loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs without accruing interest when the national unemployment rate exceeds 7% or the unemployment rate for 21-25 year olds exceeds 9%. Limits that deferral period to a maximum of five years. Makes the deferral available only to graduates aged 21-25 who received their first baccalaureate degree within the four years preceding this Act's enactment.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Investing in Our Student's Future Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the 3.4% interest rate on Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, applicable to Direct Stafford loans first disbursed to undergraduate students on or after July 1, 2012. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the top marginal income tax rate for individuals by 1%, beginning in calendar year 2013.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
National Education for Service Heritage Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to require each state that receives assistance under the HEA to charge the dependent children of individuals domiciled in the state who have served on active duty in the Armed Forces for at least 15 years no more than the in-state tuition for attending a public institution of higher education in the state.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veterans and Service Members Educational Benefits Safety Act - Makes institutions of higher education that have a cohort default rate equal to or greater than 30% for each of the three most recent fiscal years ineligible to participate in military and veterans' educational assistance programs. (The cohort default rate represents the percentage of a school's current and former students who begin to repay Federal Family Education Loans [FFELs] in a fiscal year, but default on those loans before the end of the second fiscal year following the fiscal year they began repaying them.) Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require proprietary institutions of higher education to derive not less than 10% of their revenue from sources other than veterans' education benefits or, as under current law, title IV, or become ineligible for title IV funding (90/10 rule).

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Protecting Victims on Campus Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise provisions that require each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in a title IV (Student Assistance) program to comply with certain crime reporting requirements. Requires IHEs to provide students and employees with a list of the titles, in each department of the IHE, of each individual who is a campus security authority to whom they should report specified criminal offenses. Includes criminal offenses involving minors that are reported to campus security authorities or the local police among the criminal offenses that are to be included in: (1) the annual campus security report provided to current and prospective students and employees, and (2) the timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to the community. Requires the personally identifiable information of victims to be kept confidential when IHEs are making timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to the community. Requires IHEs, in carrying out their obligation to make such timely reports, to: (1) designate an individual to serve as campus security authority coordinator, and (2) provide for the training of that coordinator and the campus security authorities. Directs the Secretary of Education, when imposing civil penalties on IHEs for substantial violations of the crime reporting requirements, to distinguish between IHEs that intentionally violated those requirements and those whose violations are attributable to institutional neglect. Requires the Secretary to provide each IHE that is to be investigated for violating such reporting requirements with a timeline of the investigation and a preliminary report that includes the reasons for the investigation.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Graduate Success Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to pay the interest that accrues on unsubsidized Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Direct Loans (DLs) that are deferred due to a student borrower's lack of full-time employment. Requires the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on Federal Consolidation Loans that are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment, provided the application for such a loan is received on or after this Act's enactment. Directs the Secretary to pay the interest that accrues on FFELs and DLs that are subject to income-based repayment provisions and are in deferment due to a borrower's lack of full-time employment. Limits these interest-free deferment periods to those occurring on or after this Act's enactment and covering no more than three years of full-time unemployment.

Date: 2012-06-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to modify the requirement that state and local funds be used to provide services to schools receiving school improvement funds that are comparable to services received by schools not receiving such funds. Conditions a local educational agency's (LEA's) receipt of school improvement funds, beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, on the LEA showing its state that combined state and local per-pupil expenditures in each of its schools served under the school improvement program are not less than the average combined state and local per-pupil expenditures for each of its schools not served under that program. Requires an LEA that serves all of its schools under the school improvement program to show its state that the average combined state and local per-pupil expenditures for its high-poverty schools were not less than those expenditures for its low-poverty schools. Allows LEAs to meet these requirements on a grade-span by grade-span or school-by-school basis. Requires LEAs to exclude from these calculations state and local funds expended in any school for capital expenditures or the excess costs of providing services to English learners or disabled children.

Date: 2012-06-08
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Home School Equity Act for Tax Relief of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2012 the tax deduction for expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, and (2) expand the definition of "school" for purposes of such tax deduction to include a home school which provides elementary or secondary education if such school is treated as a home school or private school under state law.

Date: 2012-06-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the modified adjusted gross income threshold for reducing the allowable amount of the tax deduction for interest on education loans. Makes permanent the elimination of the 60-month limitation on the tax deduction for interest on education loans and the increase in the income threshold for reducing the allowable amount of such deduction enacted by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001.

Date: 2012-06-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Student Veteran Academic Counseling Enhancement Act or Student Veteran ACE Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) to make educational counseling available to students pursuing an approved program of education while using educational assistance provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Secretary to: (1) assign one educational counselor per 100 of such students in a geographical area, and (2) provide adequate opportunities for such counseling to such students in remote areas. Requires a student who is a veteran to receive such counseling, unless the student specifically declines, while allowing non-veteran students to elect to receive such counseling. Outlines counselor responsibilities, including assistance with applications for such educational assistance, as well as academic counseling and transition assistance. Requires each student to attend at least one counseling session per quarter, semester, or term, unless such attendance would place an undue hardship on the student. Requires an annual report from the Secretary to the congressional veterans committees on such counseling. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense to provide individualized, one-on-one educational counseling to an individual considering pursuing a program of education with assistance furnished through the VA or the Department of Defense (DOD), unless such individual declines. Outlines counseling elements. Repeals the fiscal year funding limit ($6 million) for VA contract educational and vocational counseling. Requires the Secretary to establish a system to collect, process, and track complaints submitted by individuals enrolled in VA programs of education and reporting instances of fraud, waste, and abuse by the educational institutions with respect to benefits and services provided.

Date: 2012-07-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Give Families Better Tools to Save for Education Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the limitation on contributions to a tax-exempt Coverdell education savings account from $2,000 to $10,000.

Date: 2012-07-12
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Fulfilling Our Promise to Student Veterans Act of 2012 - Amends the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 to include among the members and former members of the Armed Forces authorized to request the correction of erroneous Army College Fund benefit amounts those members serving on active duty at the time the request is submitted. Reauthorizes through 2015 any payments required in connection with such corrections.

Date: 2012-07-12
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Transferring Credits for College Completion Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to include on the College Navigator website the percentage of undergraduates at an institution of higher education (IHE) who have transferred from another IHE and earned their degree or certificate in their program of study within: (1) the normal time for its completion, (2) 150% of the normal time for its completion, and (3) 200% of the normal time for its completion. Requires IHEs, to the extent practicable, to include in their course schedule publications information on whether each listed course or program of study is transferable for credit toward the completion of a degree at a public IHE located in their state. Requires each public IHE, by July 1, 2014, to enter into an articulation agreement with the other public IHEs located in its state. Requires those agreements to include: (1) a common general education core curriculum consisting of at least 30 credit hours or equivalent coursework that are fully transferable toward meeting specific degree or certificate requirements at other public IHEs in the state, (2) common course numbering for substantially similar courses in that curriculum, and (3) a guarantee that an associate degree in an academic major in the arts and sciences at a public IHE in the state will be credited as the first 2 years of a related baccalaureate program at other public IHEs in the state. Excepts Tribal Colleges or Universities from those articulation agreement requirements.

Date: 2012-07-17
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Families Saving for Education Act of 2012 - Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 relating to Coverdell education savings accounts.

Date: 2012-07-18
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Student Loan Opportunity Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax-exempt private activity bond financing, to eliminate the restriction on nonprofit corporations that acquire student loan notes to notes incurred under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (thus allowing such corporations to access tax-exempt financing for other types of student loans).

Date: 2012-07-26
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Know Before You Owe Private Student Loan Act of 2012 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a lender, before issuing a private education loan for a student attending an institution of higher education (IHE), to obtain the IHE's certification of: (1) the student's enrollment status, (2) the student's cost of attendance, and (3) the difference between that cost and the student's estimated financial assistance. Eliminates the requirement that such lenders obtain a self-certification form from the private education loan applicant. Allows a lender to issue such loan without a certification if there is no response from the relevant IHE within 15 business days of the lender's request for the certification. Requires private educational lenders to: (1) send loan statements to borrowers at least once every month a student is enrolled at an IHE; (2) notify the relevant IHE, in writing, of the loan amount and the student to whom it applies no later than the date funds are issued; and (3) submit an annual report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) containing information the CFPB requires concerning private student loans. Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require IHEs, before providing lenders with certifications, to determine whether students have exhausted their options for title IV assistance and notify borrowers of: (1) the availability of such assistance; (2) their ability to choose their own private educational lender; (3) the impact of the proposed private education loan on their eligibility for other financial assistance; and (4) their right to accept or reject a private education loan within 30 days of the lender's approval of their application, and to cancel the loan within 3 business days of its consummation.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Educaton Act of 1965 to eliminate the expected family contribution used in determining Pell Grant eligibility in the case of a student applicant whose parent or guardian died as a result of performing service as a police officer, firefighter, or other public safety officer.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Making College Affordable Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to Coverdell education savings accounts, to: (1) increase the age limit for beneficiaries of such accounts after which contributions may not be made from age 18 to age 26, (2) increase the maximum contribution limit in any taxable year from $2,000 to $10,000, and (3) allow an annual inflation adjustment to the increased contribution limit for taxable years beginning in a calendar year after 2012.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Higher Education and Employment Transparency Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make publicly available on the College Navigator website the job placement information that schools who are participating in that Act's title IV (Student Assistance) programs are required to provide to prospective and enrolled students. Requires those schools to supplement that job placement information by indicating whether or not the jobs their graduates obtain are paid jobs or require any postsecondary education. Requires those schools to include on their website, and the Secretary to include on the College Navigator website, a link to the appropriate section of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website that provides information from the Occupational Employment Statistics program and the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the BLS.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Understanding the True Cost of College Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Opportunity Act to refer to the Secretary of Education's model institution of higher eduction (IHE) financial aid offer form as the standard form. Requires the standard form to include certain additional items, such as: (1) information concerning work study assistance, including its dependence on the availability of employment opportunities; (2) the disclosure that federal student loans offer generally more favorable terms and repayment options than private education loans; (3) the deadline for and a summary of the financial aid acceptance process; (4) the academic period covered by the offer and whether the aid is based on full-time or part-time enrollment; and (5) the IHE's most recent cohort default rate compared to the national average cohort default rate, if more than 30% of the school's students take out student loans. Requires more detailed information to be included on the form. Includes among those details, with respect to federal education loans, information: (1) identifying the type and amount of loan recommended for the applicable student; (2) clearly indicating that such loans need to be repaid; (3) disclosing the student's right to borrow less than the recommended amount; and (4) detailing the interest rates, fees, expected monthly repayment amounts, and sums to be paid over the life of such loans. Requires that certain steps be taken to improve the clarity of the form and provide recipients with access to additional information. Directs the Secretary, before finalizing the standard form, to submit it to consumer testing among students, their families, IHEs, secondary school and postsecondary counselors, and nonprofit consumer groups. Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each IHE receiving federal financial assistance under the Act to use the standard form in providing written or electronic financial aid offers to students enrolled in, or accepted for enrollment in, the IHE.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Student Loan Prepayment Standardization Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require that when the holder of a borrower's private education loans or loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or Direct Loan (DL) programs receives a prepayment for such loans, it is to be applied first toward any fees due on such loans and then, unless the borrower requests otherwise, toward the interest and principal due on the loan with the highest interest rate. Makes that requirement inapplicable to income-based repayment plans for FFELs or DLs.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Campus Safety for Children Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in title IV (Student Assistance) programs to include in their annual campus security reports, provided to current and prospective students and employees, statistics on sexual offenses against minors that were reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies over the three preceding calendar years. Prohibits those IHEs from exempting school employees from their campus sexual assault prevention programs.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
College Cost Reduction Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish the Higher Education Regulatory Reform Task Force to prepare a report, that is to be submitted to Congress and made available on a publicly accessible website, on federal regulatory requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs). Requires the report to contain: (1) a list of rules that are determined to be outmoded, duplicative, ineffective, or excessively burdensome; (2) an analysis of how the costs of such rules outweigh their benefits; (3) recommendations to consolidate, modify, simplify, or repeal such rules and a description of the justification for and impact of such recommendations; and (4) recommendations on establishing a permanent entity to review new regulatory requirements affecting IHEs. Requires the President to submit to Congress a legislative proposal for carrying out some or all of the recommendations contained in the report. Includes, as part of that proposal, a requirement that the Secretary promulgate regulations requiring IHEs to control annual tuition increases and penalizing noncompliant schools. Establishes congressional procedures to expedite consideration of the President's proposal.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Student Financial Aid Simplification Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to determine students' need and eligibility for title IV assistance, unless they qualify for the simplified needs test or expect no family contribution, by using tax return information regarding those students or their parents that this Act authorizes the Secretary of Education to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Requires those students to submit to the Secretary certain supplementary information not available from the IRS. Requires the Secretary to provide institutions of higher education and states with that tax return information, without charge, for the purposes of processing loan applications and determining need and eligibility for institutional and state financial aid. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose tax return information to the Department of Education regarding taxpayers or their dependents whose need and eligibility for assistance under title IV of the HEA is based in whole or part on their income or their parents' income.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Leadership Invests in the Future Through Helping Individuals Gain Higher Education and Retraining Act of 2012 or the LIFT HIGHER Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow applicants to a graduate school program an income-based refundable tax credit for expenses in connection with a graduate school program application, including application fees, fees for taking any required test, and amounts paid for study and preparation materials or for tutorial and preparation services for any test required by a graduate program. Limits the amount of such credit in any taxable year to $500 over the aggregate amount of credits allowable for all prior taxable years. -

Date: 2012-09-28
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Foster Youth Higher Education Opportunities Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to inform students who indicate on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that they are or were in the foster care system of their potential eligibility for federal student aid, including the specific federal programs under which they may be eligible for assistance. Requires the Secretary to provide foster youth with that same information on the Department of Education's website.

Date: 2012-12-13
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Earnings Contingent Education Loans Act of 2012 or the ExCEL Act of 2012 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make students ineligible to receive Direct Loans (DLs) on or after July 1, 2014. Makes certain exceptions for student borrowers who have an outstanding balance on their DLs or Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs), as of that date, and later apply for a Direct Unsubsidized, PLUS, or Consolidation Loan. Establishes an Income Dependent Education Assistance (IDEA) Loan program, effective July 1, 2014, making federal funds available for loans to student borrowers. Sets the interest rate on IDEA Loans at the bond equivalent rate of ten-year Treasury bills, plus 3%. Caps the total amount of interest that can accrue during a borrower's grace and repayment periods at 50% of the total amount of their IDEA Loan. Blocks the accrual of interest on IDEA Loans for active duty military personnel. Allows student borrowers to consolidate FFELs, DLs, and Perkins Loans into IDEA Consolidation Loans that bear interest at an annual rate that equals the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans consolidated. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish an IDEA Loan Repayment Program that: (1) repays IDEA loans through wage withholding and quarterly estimated tax payments, and (2) provides the Secretary of Education with the tax return information for each borrower that is necessary to determine the borrower's income-based repayment obligation. Sets the annual repayment obligation for borrowers at an amount equal to 15% of the excess of their taxable income over the sum of: (1) an exemption amount equal to 150% of the federal poverty level for their household; and (2) the lesser $3,000 or specified income other than wages, salaries, tips and other employee compensation. Sets the income-based repayment obligation of individuals who are not required to file a tax return at zero. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide borrowers, through the Internet, with a tool that has an interface that enables them to manage their IDEA Loans. Allows borrowers to prepay all or part of an IDEA Loan without penalty. Penalizes borrowers who fail to pay their full repayment amount for a taxable year. Amends the Social Security Act to give the Secretary of Education access to the information in the National Directory of New Hires to determine when IDEA borrowers in repayment status are hired and to inform them of their obligation to provide their employer with accurate loan information for wage withholding purposes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include IDEA loan withholding information on W-2 forms and to require the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose borrowers' tax return information to the Department of Education for IDEA program purposes.

Date: 2012-12-17
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
College Research Education and Teacher Excellence (CREATE) Opportunity Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the research tax credit permanent. Makes 100% of a taxpayer's expenditures for qualified research at an institution of higher education eligible for the research tax credit. (Currently, 65% of those expenditures are eligible.) Considers research in the social sciences to be qualified research, eligible for the research tax credit. Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow the Secretary of Education to award a student two Pell Grants during a single award year if the student is enrolled in an associate degree or certificate program at a junior or community college on at least a half-time basis for the equivalent of more than one academic year during the Pell Grant award year. Treats a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant as a Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan only in proportion to the extent to which its recipient fails to comply with the Grant's service obligation. (TEACH Grants are provided to students who agree to teach for four years in a high-need field at an elementary or secondary school that serves a high number or percentage of low-income students.)

Date: 2012-12-18
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Center to Advance, Monitor, and Preserve University Security Safety Act of 2012 or the CAMPUS Safety Act of 2012 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to establish and operate, within the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, a National Center for Campus Public Safety. Tasks the Center with strengthening the safety and security of institutions of higher education (IHEs) by: (1) training IHE public safety personnel and their collaborative partners; (2) fostering relevant research; (3) collecting and disseminating information and best practices regarding campus safety; (4) developing protocols and best practices to prevent, protect against, and respond to dangerous and violent situations that threaten the campus community; and (5) promoting cooperation among public safety and emergency management personnel of IHEs and their collaborative partners, including law enforcement, emergency management, and mental health agencies. Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to IHEs and other nonprofit organizations for activities that will assist the Center in performing its functions.

Date: 2012-12-20
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow payment of home school expenses from Coverdell education savings accounts.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) payment of home school expenses from Coverdell education savings accounts; and (2) an annual inflation adjustment after 2010 to the contribution limit amount for such accounts. Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 relating to Coverdell education savings accounts, including an increase in the contribution limit amount for such accounts.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Fast Track to College Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching six-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support dual enrollment programs, such as early college high schools, that allow secondary school students to earn credit simultaneously toward a secondary school diploma and a postsecondary degree or credential. Gives grant priority to applicants: (1) that propose to establish or support a dual enrollment program for a student body at least 40% of which is impoverished; and (2) from states that provide assistance to dual enrollment programs, such as assistance defraying the costs of higher education. Requires applicants to make assurances that: (1) students will not be required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses, and (2) those courses will be taught by faculty that meet their partner IHE's normal standards. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching five-year grants to states to: (1) plan and implement statewide strategies to make dual enrollment programs more accessible to students who are underrepresented in postsecondary education; (2) provide technical assistance to dual enrollment programs; and (3) engage in outreach, assessment, and teacher training activities designed to strengthen such programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) contract for an independent evaluation of this Act's programs; and (2) provide technical assistance to LEAs and their partners, and disseminate information concerning best practices in dual enrollment programs.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income payments under the federal veterinary medicine loan repayment program or any other state loan repayment or forgiveness program that is intended to provide for increased access to veterinary services in such state.

Date: 2011-03-09
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Exempts survivors' and dependents' educational assistance from the 48-month time limit on the use of assistance under various veterans' and related educational assistance programs. Revives any entitlement reduced by the 48-month limit.

Date: 2011-03-09
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2011 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) participating in a title IV program (except a foreign school) to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment that includes: (1) a prohibition of harassment of students by other students, faculty, and staff; (2) a description of its programs to prevent harassment; (3) a description of the procedures that students should follow if harassment occurs; and (4) a description of the procedures it will follow once an incident of harassment has been reported. Defines "harassment" to include certain conduct undertaken through technological means that limits a student's ability to benefit from the IHE's programs, or creates a hostile or abusive educational environment at the school. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to: (1) prevent the harassment of students; (2) provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; and (3) train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs. Directs the Secretary to publish a report of best practices for combating harassment at IHEs.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education