zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
STEM Gateways Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) elementary and secondary school programs for women and girls, underrepresented minorities, and individuals from all economic backgrounds.

Requires those programs to be directed toward at least one of the following goals:

 encouraging the interest of elementary and secondary school students in the STEM fields; motivating the engagement of those students in the STEM fields by providing them with relevant hands-on learning opportunities; supporting classroom success in the STEM disciplines by elementary and secondary school students; supporting STEM workforce training and career preparation for secondary school students; and improving the access of secondary school students to STEM career and continuing education opportunities. Defines an "eligible entity" as: (1) a local educational agency (LEA); (2) an educational service agency serving more than one LEA; (3) a consortium of LEAs; (4) nonprofit organizations that work with elementary schools, secondary schools, or institutions of higher education and have shown a commitment to achieving the goals listed above; or (5) community colleges working in partnership with secondary schools to create dual enrollment, credit transfer, or accelerated postsecondary credentialing opportunities.

Date: 2013-12-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Net Price Calculator Improvement Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the minimum requirements for the net price calculator that each institution of higher education (IHE) receiving federal funds under title IV (Student Assistance) of the Act must include on its website. (An IHE's "net price" is the average yearly price actually charged to first-time, full-time undergraduate students receiving student aid at the school after deducting such aid.)

Requires the link for the calculator to be clearly labeled and conspicuously posted on an IHE's website.

Requires each calculator's results page to include:

 the net price of attending the IHE; the cost of attending the IHE; the estimated total need- and merit-based grant aid, from federal, state, and institutional sources, that may be available to first-time, full-time undergraduate students enrolled at the IHE; the percentage of such students enrolled at the school who receive any of that grant aid; and a notice that an estimate of an individual's net price is non-binding and subject to change. Requires calculators that estimate a user's eligibility for veterans' education benefits or educational benefits for active duty service members to clearly distinguish those benefits from other grant-aid. Requires calculators that do not make such estimates to provide users with notice of, and a link to information concerning, those benefits.

Directs IHEs to populate their calculators with data from not later than two academic years prior to the most recent academic year.

Requires the calculators to: (1) clearly indicate which questions need to be completed for a net price estimate, (2) clearly mark requests for contact information as optional, and (3) prohibit personally identifiable information from being sold or made available to third parties.

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to develop a universal net price calculator that enables users to answer one set of questions and receive net prices for any IHE that is required to have a net price calculator.

Date: 2013-12-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include foreign income that is excluded for the purposes of federal income taxes in the determination of a student's need for assistance under title IV.

Date: 2014-01-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Directs the Secretary of Education to study and report on the feasibility and advantages and disadvantages of using individual income tax returns as the primary form of application for student aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Date: 2014-01-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veteran Tax Parity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income imputed income from the discharge of student loan indebtedness of a veteran with a service-connected total disability that is determined to be permanent in nature.

Date: 2014-01-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Student Loan Borrowers' Bill of Rights Act of 2013 - Removes educational loans from the list of debts that are non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to reinstate the six-year statute of limitations on the recovery by:

 institutions of higher education (IHEs) of refund amounts owed by students on grants made, or work assistance awarded, under title IV; guaranty agencies of amounts owed on loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program; IHEs that have program participation agreements with the Secretary of Education of amounts owed under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program or Federal Perkins Loans program; and the federal government of amounts owed by students on grants made under title IV or amounts owed by borrowers on loans made under title IV that have been assigned to the Secretary. Prohibits the collection of amounts individuals owe the Department of Education under title IV of the HEA through: (1) offsets of social security, railroad retirement, or black lung benefits; (2) offsets of tax refunds; or (3) wage garnishment.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude discharged student loan debt from an individual's gross income.

Excludes from gross income distributions from qualified tuition plans that are use to pay the interest or principal on student loans.

Amends the HEA to make borrowers of PLUS loans made on behalf of dependent students under:

 the Direct Loan program eligible for income-contingent repayment plans, including plans based on the President's Pay As You Earn repayment initiative; the Direct Loan or FFEL programs eligible for income-based repayment plans that enable borrowers who have a partial financial hardship to make lower monthly payments; and the Direct Loan or FFEL programs eligible for loan forgiveness for service in areas of national need. Specifies the regulation to be used in determining whether individuals have an adverse credit history that disqualifies them from borrowing a Direct Plus loan (provided to graduate or professional students or the parents of dependent students).

Prohibits evidence of an individual's default on a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV of the HEA from being used in a federal or state proceeding involving the individual's professional or vocational license.

Prohibits an IHE from blocking students' access to their student records at the IHE due to such students being in default on such loans.

Directs the Secretary to cancel 50% of the balance of the interest and principal due on Direct loans that are not in default for borrowers who are employed in a public service job and make 60 monthly payments on such loans after October 1, 2013.

Date: 2014-01-15
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make any student who is convicted of a criminal hazing offense ineligible for any grant, loan, or work assistance under title IV.

Date: 2014-01-16
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Foreign Medical School Accountability Fairness Act of 2014 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the exemption of certain foreign medical schools from the prohibition on foreign medical schools participating in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program, unless:

 at least 60% of those enrolled in, and at least 60% of the graduates of, the foreign medical school during the preceding year were not citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States or were not in the United States with the intention of becoming citizens or permanent residents; and at least 75% of students or graduates of the medical school located outside the United States or Canada who took the examinations administered by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in the preceding year received a passing score. Preserves the Direct Loan eligibility of students who were enrolled at schools excepted from that prohibition on or before the date of this Act's enactment.

Date: 2014-01-16
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to:

 include a space on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to identify students who are or were in the foster care system and are seeking assistance under title IV, and notify students who identify themselves as such of their potential eligibility for financial aid under title IV and other federal programs.

Date: 2014-01-16
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Investing in States to Achieve Tuition Equality for Dreamers Act of 2014 or the IN STATE Act of 2014 - 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 or has successfully completed at least 2 years of a program for a bachelor's or higher degree in this country, 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) have made significant progress in establishing a preschool through postsecondary education (P-16) longitudinal data system; and (2) 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.

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 (DHS) 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: 2014-01-16
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Immigration
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to discharge a student borrower's loan under the Federal Family Education Loan program if the borrower: (1) has been determined by the Commissioner of Social Security to be under a disability without expectation of medical or functional improvement, and (2) provides the Secretary with documentation of that determination.

Considers such a borrower to be permanently and totally disabled.

Prohibits such a borrower from being required to present additional documentation regarding his or her disability.

Date: 2014-01-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2014 the tax deduction for qualified tuition and related expenses.

Date: 2014-01-28
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Protect Academic Freedom Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to prohibit institutions of higher education (IHEs) from being eligible to receive any form of financial assistance under such Act if the Secretary of Education determines that they are participating in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions or scholars.

Directs the Secretary, no later than May 1 of each year, to: (1) identify and make publicly available a list of all IHEs participating in such boycott, and (2) notify each IHE that is so identified of its designation as a participant in such boycott.

Gives IHEs 30 days after their identification as a boycott participant to request the Secretary to waive their ineligibility for financial assistance under the HEA.

Makes the funding prohibition inapplicable to funds available for student financial aid.

Date: 2014-02-06
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Student Loan Forgiveness Tax Repayment Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to include their imputed income from the discharge of student loan indebtedness due to death or disability in gross income, for income tax purposes, ratably over a 15-year period beginning with the taxable year of the discharge.

Provides that any imputed income from the discharge of student loan indebtedness by reason of death or disability shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for any federal means-tested program.

Date: 2014-02-06
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Student Veterans IT Upgrade Act - Directs the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in coordination with the Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity, to submit to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees a report on the VA's information technology system that is used in connection with the administration of educational benefits by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Requires such report to include: (1) the status of such system, (2) the system plan submitted to Congress, (3) an action plan describing how the CIO and the Deputy Under Secretary intend to finalize such system, and (4) the anticipated cost of upgrading such system.

Directs the CIO and the Deputy Under Secretary to update the Committees at least annually on any progress made in upgrading the system.

Date: 2014-03-04
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Education Survey Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into a contract with a non-government entity to conduct a survey of a statistically valid sample of individuals who have used or are using their entitlement to veterans educational assistance to pursue a program of education or training.

Requires: (1) the survey to be submitted to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees not later than one month before the collection of data begins, and (2) the entity to conduct the survey electronically or by other appropriate means and to complete the survey and submit the results to the Secretary not later than 180 days after entering into the contract.

Requires the survey to be designed to collect specified types of information about each individual surveyed, including: (1) demographic information, including the highest level of education completed, military occupational specialties while serving in the Armed Forces, National Guard, or Reserves, and whether the individual has a service-connected disability; (2) the individual's opinion regarding participation in the transition assistance program and the effectiveness of the program; (3) the nature of the individual's experience with the VA's education benefits processing system; and (4) the individual's employment status and whether such status differs from the individual's status prior to enrolling in the program of education or training.

Directs the Secretary to report to the Committees on the results of the survey, including an unedited version of the results submitted, and any recommendations.

Date: 2014-03-05
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to charge an advance payment of veterans' educational assistance against the final and, if necessary, penultimate month of the recipient's entitlement to such assistance.

Prohibits an individual from receiving more than one advance payment of veterans' educational assistance during any academic year.

Date: 2014-03-06
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2014 or the JOBS Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education, for the award years beginning on July 1, 2014, and ending on June 30, 2020, to award job training Federal Pell Grants to students in job training programs.

Makes students eligible for such Grants if they: (1) have not attained a baccalaureate or postbaccalaureate degree; (2) are attending an institution of higher education (IHE) that is eligible to participate in title IV programs; (3) are enrolled in, or accepted for enrollment in, a job training program at that IHE that does not lead to a baccalaureate degree; and (4) meet all the other eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant.

Establishes a maximum amount, but no minimum amount, for such a Grant.

Defines an eligible "job training program" as a career and technical education program at an IHE that:

 provides at least 150 clock hours of instructional time over a period of at least 8 weeks, provides training that meets the needs of the local or regional workforce, provides students who complete the program with a recognized educational credential, and the IHE has determined is sufficient to meet the hiring requirements of multiple employers and allow students to apply for any licenses or certifications that may be required for employment in the field for which the job training is offered.

Date: 2014-03-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veterans Higher Education Opportunity Act - Amend title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish what is to be considered a year of service for determining the percentage of an individual's Federal Perkins Loan that is to be cancelled for military service that qualifies for special pay for occurring in an area of hostilities.

Defines such individual's "year of service" as a qualified tour of duty that: (1) lasted at least six months, or (2) lasted less than six months because the member was discharged or released from active duty due to an injury or disability incurred in or aggravated by the member's military service.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Student Loan Fair Prepayment Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require that when the holder of a borrower's loans under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or William D. Ford Federal 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 principal due on the loan that bears the highest interest rate.

Makes that requirement inapplicable to income-based or income contingent repayment plans for FFELs or DLs.

Requires an institution of higher education holding a borrower's loans under the Federal Perkins Loan program to first apply any excess payments by the borrower toward any fees due on such loans and then, unless the borrower requests otherwise, toward the principal due on the loan that bears the highest interest rate.

Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a private education loan holder that holds more than one private education loan for a borrower to apply any prepayments on those loans first toward any fees due on such loans and then, unless the borrower requests otherwise, toward the principal due on the loan that bears the highest interest rate.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Veterans Education Outcomes Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in title IV programs to inform prospective and enrolled students of the percentage of the IHE's full-time students who receive assistance under the All-Volunteer Force or Post 9/11 Educational Assistance programs or the program providing educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve.

Requires those IHEs to disaggregate by the recipients of such assistance information, which they are required to provide to prospective and enrolled students, regarding:

 their costs of attendance, their completion or graduation rates, their graduates' placement in employment and type of employment, the types of graduate and professional education their graduating students pursue, and their retention rate for undergraduate students.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Electronic Books Opening Opportunity for Knowledge Act of 2014 or the E-BOOK Act of 2014 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to up to 10 institutions of higher education (IHEs) to conduct pilot programs to reduce the cost of attendance for undergraduate students by expanding their access to digital course materials.

Directs the Secretary to give a preference to applications that demonstrate a commitment to serving disadvantaged students.

Requires grantees to make digital course materials available to undergraduate students in at least two different academic departments.

Allows the IHEs to use the grant funds to:

 purchase and maintain the electronic equipment or software their pilot programs need; purchase and maintain the digital and online content that instructors or students will use; hire staff to administer their pilot programs, with priority given to hiring enrolled undergraduate students; build or acquire extra storage space for pilot program equipment; and revise and adapt academic curricula as needed to implement their pilot programs.

Date: 2014-03-14
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a student loan repayment program in which the Secretary repays the undergraduate student loan amounts that veterans owe on any date they incur a service-connected disability that is rated as total.

Makes the repayment program applicable only to: (1) veterans who served in the Armed Forces on or after September 11, 2001, and (2) loans made before the veteran entered the Armed Forces.

Date: 2014-03-26
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax-exempt qualified tuition programs (529 plans), to: (1) make permanent the allowance for computer technology and equipment expenses and require that such technology and equipment be used primarily by the plan beneficiary (formerly, beneficiary and beneficiary's family); (2) allow contributors to a 529 plan or a plan beneficiary to direct plan investments, but not more frequently than four times per calendar year; (3) permit a recontribution to a 529 plan of amounts refunded to a student who withdraws from an educational institution if the recontribution is made not later than 60 days after the date of such refund and does not exceed the refunded amount; and (4) allow tax-free rollovers to a Roth individual retirement account (Roth IRA) of distributions from a qualified tuition program which has been maintained by the account holder for a 10-year period.

Date: 2014-03-27
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Transferring Credits for College Completion Act of 2014 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) 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 private IHEs participating the programs under title IV (Student Assistance) of the HEA to publicly disclose, in a readable and comprehensible manner, their transfer of credit policies, including a list of IHEs with which they have established an articulation agreement.

Requires each public IHE participating in a title IV program to publicly disclose, by July 1, 2017, on a central location of its website and in a readable and comprehensible manner:

 a list of the public IHEs with which it has an articulation agreement, a list of the courses in the common general education core curriculum of such public IHEs, and a description of each associate degree program at a public IHE in the state that is acceptable in transfer and that will provide credit toward the first two years of a related baccalaureate program at a public IHE in such state. Requires each public IHE, to the extent practicable, to include in its course schedule publication information on whether each listed course or program of study is part of its common general education core curriculum and is transferable for credit toward the completion of a degree at any public IHE with which it has an articulation agreement.

Requires each public IHE, by July 1, 2017, to enter into an articulation agreement with the other public IHEs located in its state.

Requires those agreements to include:

 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, common course numbering for substantially similar courses in that curriculum, and 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 two years of a related baccalaureate program at other public IHEs in the state. Excepts Tribal Colleges or Universities from those articulation agreement requirements.

Date: 2014-04-01
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Pell Grant Protection Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to set the maximum Federal Pell Grant for which a student may be eligible for an award year at a specified amount, increased for inflation each year, plus any additional amount specified in the last enacted appropriation Act applicable to that award year.

Appropriates for FY2015 and each succeeding fiscal year such sums as may be necessary to provide, in combination with any amounts separately appropriated for the additional Pell Grant amount, each eligible student with the maximum Pell Grant amount, minus the student's expected family contribution. (This converts the Pell Grant program into a mandatory spending program.)

Directs the Secretary of Education to award an additional Pell Grant to an eligible student who: (1) has received a Pell Grant for an award year, and (2) is enrolled in a program of study for one or more additional payment periods during the same award year that are not otherwise covered by the Pell Grant.

Permits the total amount of the Pell Grants awarded to such student for the award year to exceed the total maximum Pell Grant for such award year.

Date: 2014-04-02
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Perkins Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the Carl D. Perkins and Technical Education Act of 2006 to revise its purposes, which are to develop more fully the academic and career and technical skills of secondary education students and postsecondary students who elect to enroll in career and technical education programs (as under current law), by: (1) preparing those students for employment in current or emerging in-demand industry sectors or occupations; (2) aligning the skills, certifications, and credentials of the students with those needed by employers in the labor markets served by educational institutions; and (3) ensuring that the selection of skills, certifications, and credentials acquired by such students is guided by timely labor market information.

Defines "in-demand industry sector or occupation" to mean an industry sector or occupation that: (1) has or is projected to have a substantial role or a positive economic impact in the economy of the area served by an eligible institution; (2) provides workers with jobs that lead to economic self-sufficiency and opportunities for advancement; and (3) is documented in labor market information collected by state and federal agencies, workforce investment boards, or other third-party organizations.

Date: 2014-04-08
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Investing in Student Success Act of 2014 - Declares that income share agreements that meet this Act's requirements are valid, binding, and enforceable contracts that are not subject to state usury laws or state laws regulating assignments of future income.

Defines an "income share agreement" as an agreement between an individual and any other person under which the individual commits to pay a specified percentage of the individual's future income, for a specified period of time, in exchange for payments to or on behalf of such individual for postsecondary education, workforce development, or other purposes.

Requires such an agreement to:

 specify the percentage of future income the individual will be obligated to pay, but it must exempt, at a minimum, the first $10,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) of income each year; specify what will be considered the individual's income; prevent the individual from obligating more than 15% of the individual's future income toward such agreement; specify the maximum period that an individual will be obligated to make payments, not to exceed 360 months (excluding any period during which an individual's income was below the agreement's exempt amount); and specify the terms and conditions for early termination of an individual's payment period. Requires individuals, before entering into such an agreement, to be provided with a document that clearly and simply discloses: (1) the terms of the agreement, (2) that the agreement is not a debt instrument, (3) that such individual may be required to pay more or less than the amount received, and (4) that an individual's obligations under the agreement are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Prohibits such agreements from being construed as giving the contract holder any rights over an individual's actions.

Excludes payments that are made under an income share agreement from the individual's gross income for tax purposes.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include income share agreements as qualified education loans, but denies the deduction for interest paid on such loans.

Prohibits amounts individuals receive for entering into an income share agreement from being included as income or assets in the computation of the expected family contribution for any program funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exclude any person from being treated as an investment company if substantially all of that person's business is confined to making income share agreements.

Date: 2014-04-09
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Learning Opportunities With Creation of Open Source Textbooks (LOW COST) Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop high quality, college freshman-level, open source materials that: (1) contain, at minimum, a comprehensive set of textbooks or other educational materials covering topics in physics, chemistry, and calculus; (2) are posted on the Federal Open Source Material Website (Website); and (3) are free of copyright violations.

Requires the Director to establish and maintain the Website.

Requires materials on the Website to be made available free of charge. Allows those materials to be downloaded, redistributed, or revised by the public.

Directs the head of each federal agency that spends more than a specified amount in a fiscal year on scientific education or research to use at least 2% of those funds to collaborate with the heads of other such agencies or any federally funded research and development center to develop and implement procedures for checking the veracity, accuracy, and educational effectiveness of open source materials that are posted on the Website.

Date: 2014-04-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Protecting Educational Loans for Underserved Students Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish criteria for the Secretary of Education to use in determining whether the credit history of applicants for William D. Ford Federal Direct PLUS loans renders them ineligible for such loans. (Federal Direct PLUS loans are provided to graduate or professional degree students and the parents of dependent undergraduate students.)

Directs the Secretary to consider an applicant to have an adverse credit history on the basis of his or her credit report, absent a determination that the applicant has extenuating circumstances, if : (1) the applicant is 90 or more days delinquent on the repayment of a debt exceeding $2,000; or (2) during the three years before the credit report date, the applicant has been subject to a default determination, bankruptcy discharge, foreclosure, repossession, tax lien, wage garnishment, or write-off of a title IV debt.

Requires applicants that have been subject to such actions to participate in loan counseling provided by the applicable institution of higher education before becoming eligible for Federal Direct PLUS loans.

Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) denying a Federal Direct PLUS loan to an applicant for having debt that is unrelated to title IV loans and is in collection or has been charged off, provided the applicant participates in such loan counseling; or (2) using the applicant's lack of a credit history as a reason to deny a Federal Direct PLUS loan to such applicant.

Requires the Secretary to retain a record of the Secretary's basis for determining that an applicant has extenuating circumstances that make the applicant eligible for a Federal Direct PLUS loan despite having an adverse credit history.

Makes the Secretary's determination that an applicant does not have an adverse credit history effective for the two years following such determination.

Date: 2014-04-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
College Preparation Tax Credit Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an individual taxpayer a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified college preparation expenses. Defines such expenses as: (1) the fees required for taking any Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam, the SAT, the ACT, or any SAT subject test; (2) expenses related to preparation for such exams; and (3) fees and expenses related to applications for admission to pursue a postsecondary course of study at an institution of higher education.

Date: 2014-05-02
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to verify that individuals who are applying for Direct Consolidation loans on the following bases are in fact:

 currently eligible for income contingent repayment or income-based repayment of a loan that has been submitted to a guaranty agency for default aversion or is already in default; employed in a public service job and thereby eligible to participate in the public service loan forgiveness program; or a member of a regular or reserve component of the Armed Forces and thereby eligible to benefit from the no accrual of interest for active duty service members program.

Date: 2014-05-06
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the following entities, programs, and courses eligible for funding under title IV if they are accredited by an authorized accreditation authority in a state that has an alternative accreditation agreement with the Secretary of Education:

 institutions that provide postsecondary courses; postsecondary apprenticeship programs; and postsecondary education courses or programs provided by institutions of postsecondary education, nonprofit organizations, or for-profit organizations or businesses. Lists the items to be included in a state's alternative accreditation agreement with the Secretary, including the standards those entities, programs, and courses must meet to receive and maintain their accreditation.

Requires that agreement to include the state's assurance that only entities, programs, and courses that provide credits toward a postsecondary certification, credential, or degree (as defined by the state in the agreement) will be accredited.

Establishes the formula for determining the administrative cost allowance for: (1) the entities, programs, and courses that are accredited through the alternative accreditation system and that administer the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant programs in accordance with the agreement; and (2) states that will administer those programs for such entities, programs, and courses in accordance with the agreement.

Date: 2014-05-08
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Federal Student Loan Refinancing Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow borrowers that received loans under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (DL) or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program on or after July 1, 2006, to consolidate those loans as Federal Direct Consolidation Loans.

Directs the Secretary of Education to consolidate DLs, and send a completed loan consolidation application to FFEL borrowers, within 90 days of this Act's enactment. Gives FFEL borrowers six months after their receipt of such application to endorse it and submit it to the Secretary if they wish to consolidate their loans.

Sets the interest rate on Federal Direct Consolidation Loans at 4% or, if the weighted average of the interest rates of the loans being consolidated is less than 4%, the lesser of: (1) that weighted average, or (2) an interest rate equal to 0.4% of the principal balance of the consolidation loan at the time of consolidation.

Adds an origination fee equal to 0.4% of the principal balance of the consolidation loan at the time of consolidation if an FFEL is being consolidated.

Reduces the interest rate on a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan by 0.25% if one or more of the loans being consolidated is an FFEL held by an eligible lender.

Prohibits any benefit a borrower is receiving or earning when issued a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan from being affected by the consolidation.

Date: 2014-05-09
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Bereaved Borrowers' Bill of Rights Act of 2014 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require a private educational lender to include in a private education loan for which the cosigner is jointly liable a process for releasing the cosigner from obligations on such loan.

 Requires a lender who receives notification of the death or bankruptcy of a cosigner who is jointly liable for the loan to notify the borrower about the borrower's rights under the loan agreement regarding: (1) release of the cosigner, and (2) identification of a new cosigner or refinancing of the loan.

 Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit: (1) consumer reporting agencies from containing in any consumer report default on a private education loan that results from accelerated repayment terms of the loan after the death or bankruptcy of a jointly liable cosigner, and (2) the lender or servicer of a private educational loan from furnishing loan information to a consumer reporting agency if the consumer defaulted on the loan due to accelerated repayment terms after the death or bankruptcy of such a cosigner.

Date: 2014-05-09
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Kerry Rose Fire Sprinkler Notification Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require institutions of higher education (IHEs) participating in title IV programs to include in their annual fire safety report: (1) the number and percentage of beds at their student housing facilities that are protected by an automatic fire sprinkler system in the bedroom, and (2) the number and percentage that are not so protected.

Directs the Secretary of Education to make publicly available statistics on the number and percentage, in the aggregate and by state, of:

 student housing facilities at IHEs with less than 100% of the beds protected by an automatic fire sprinkler system in the bedroom, student housing facilities at IHEs with less than 50% of the beds so protected, beds at student housing facilities at IHEs that are so protected, and beds at such facilities that are not so protected. Defines "student housing facilities" to include facilities that are campus facilities and facilities that are noncampus buildings or properties.

Requires IHEs that maintain student housing facilities to:

 include in all materials relating to such facilities information on whether they are equipped with a fire safety system that includes an automatic fire sprinkler system in each bedroom, give students who are selecting a student housing facility written notice as to whether or not the facility has such a system, and give students written notice on the date they move into a student housing facility as to whether the facility has such a system and how its fire safety system is described in the IHE's annual fire safety report.

Date: 2014-05-19
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the limitation on the tax deduction for interest paid on qualified education loans to $5,000 in a taxable year and provide for an annual inflation adjustment to that amount for taxable years beginning after 2015.

Date: 2014-05-21
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Taxation
Partnerships for Affordability and Student Success Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require states, for academic year 2014 and each of the succeeding four academic years, to maintain their support for: (1) institutions of higher education (IHEs) (excluding support for capital projects, research and development, or tuition and fees paid by students) at least at the level of such support for academic year 2012, and (2) student postsecondary financial aid at least at the level of such support for academic year 2012.

Directs the Secretary of Education to waive those requirements if such a waiver would be appropriate due to exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances.

Replaces the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership program with a program that allots matching incentive grants to states, based on each state's share of students eligible for Federal Pell Grants, to assist states in:

 providing need-based grants to students attending IHEs or participating in study abroad programs approved for credit by the IHEs, providing subgrants to IHEs or consortia of IHEs to improve student outcomes and to develop and implement practices that reduce costs for students, and providing public accountability and consumer information on the performance of IHEs in the state. Requires each state grantee to have a comprehensive plan for public postsecondary education that:

 has measurable goals for student outcomes, including enrollment, participation, and completion rates; has measurable college affordability goals; is aligned with the state's workforce and economic development plan; is aligned with the state's elementary and secondary education plan; and addresses the postsecondary education needs of unserved and underserved individuals, including those who are beyond the traditional college age. Requires each state grantee to report annually to the public on its progress in meeting its public postsecondary education goals and comprehensive plan for public higher education.

Allows private, nonprofit IHEs to participate on a voluntary basis in a state's comprehensive plan for postsecondary education.

Requires at least 70% of the funds allocated to a state to be reserved for need-based grants to students.

Date: 2014-05-29
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Reducing Barriers for Veterans Education Act of 2014 - Makes an individual who is eligible for educational assistance under the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program eligible for assistance with the fees for applying to institutions of higher education (IHEs).

Sets the amount of such assistance payable to an individual at the lesser of: (1) the total application fees charged to the individual by the IHEs, or (2) $750.

Date: 2014-05-30
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Education for Jobs Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make an individual eligible to apply for a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program if that individual: (1) is carrying at least three credit hours or the equivalent coursework for the course of study the individual is pursuing, (2) is enrolled in an educational program leading to a degree or certificate, and (3) was employed on a full-time basis for at least 10 years.

Makes those students eligible for interest subsidies. Requires the repayment period for such a loan to begin the day after six months after the student ceases to meet the loan eligibility requirements.

Date: 2014-06-10
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education
Stopping Abusive Student Loan Collection Practices in Bankruptcy Act of 2014 - Amends federal bankruptcy law to allow an individual whose student loan debt is discharged due to undue hardship to recover the costs of, and a reasonable attorney's fee for, the discharge proceeding if the court finds that the position of the creditor was not substantially justified.

Date: 2014-06-11
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Protecting Students from Failing Institutions Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to discharge a borrower's liability on a loan under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program if the student borrower, or the student on whose behalf a parent borrowed, is unable to complete the program in which such student is enrolled due to the closing of a campus or branch of the institution of higher education (IHE).

Prohibits a student's period of attendance at a campus or branch that closed and prevented the student from completing the student's course of study from: (1) being considered in calculating the student's period of eligibility for additional assistance under title IV, or (2) counting towards the student's duration limit for Federal Pell Grants.

Provides such liability discharge and eligibility protections to borrowers who withdraw from an IHE no more than 120 days before the closure of the campus or branch of the IHE at which they are enrolled if that closure would have prevented them from completing the program in which they were enrolled.

Allows a borrower who receives a Federal Pell Grant for an academic year for enrollment in a program at an IHE campus or branch that closes to use the remaining amount of the Federal Pell Grant for such academic year at another IHE even if the borrower is considered able to complete the program in which the borrower is enrolled.

Date: 2014-06-12
Topic: Education (Higher)
Subject: Education