[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 111 (Monday, July 11, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4611-H4613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SIMPLIFYING THE APPLICATION FOR STUDENT AID ACT
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 5528) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to
simplify the FAFSA, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5528
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Simplifying the Application
for Student Aid Act''.
SEC. 2. USING DATA FROM SECOND PRECEDING YEAR.
Section 480(a)(1)(B) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1087vv(a)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ``may'' in
both places it appears and inserting ``shall''.
SEC. 3. CALCULATION OF ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT PERCENTAGE FOR
FEDERAL PELL GRANTS.
Section 401(b)(7)(C)(iv)(I) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(7)(C)(iv)(I)) is amended by striking
``calendar year'' and inserting ``fiscal year''.
SEC. 4. FAFSA SIMPLIFICATION.
(a) FAFSA Simplification.--Section 483 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(3), by adding at the end the
following:
``(I) Format.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of the Simplifying the Application for Student
Aid Act, the Secretary shall make the electronic version of
the forms under this paragraph available through a technology
tool that can be used on mobile devices. Such technology tool
shall, at minimum, enable applicants to--
``(i) save data; and
``(ii) submit their FAFSA to the Secretary through such
tool.
``(J) Consumer testing.--In developing and maintaining the
electronic version of the forms under this paragraph and the
technology tool for mobile devices under subparagraph (I),
the Secretary shall conduct consumer testing with appropriate
persons to ensure the forms and technology tool are designed
to be easily usable and understandable by students and
families. Such consumer testing shall include--
``(i) current and prospective college students, family
members of such students, and other individuals with
expertise in student financial assistance application
processes;
``(ii) dependent students and independent students meeting
the requirements under subsection (b) or (c) of section 479;
and
``(iii) dependent students and independent students who do
not meet the requirements under subsection (b) or (c) of
section 479.''; and
(2) by amending subsection (f) to read as follows:
``(f) Use of Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool
to Populate FAFSA.--
``(1) Simplification efforts.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) make every effort to allow applicants to utilize the
current data retrieval tool to transfer data available from
the Internal Revenue Service to reduce the amount of original
data entry by applicants and strengthen the reliability of
data used to calculate expected family contributions,
including through the use of technology to--
``(i) allow an applicant to automatically populate the
electronic version of the forms under this paragraph with
data available from the Internal Revenue Service; and
``(ii) direct an applicant to appropriate questions on such
forms based on the applicant's answers to previous questions;
and
``(B) allow single taxpayers, married taxpayers filing
jointly, and married taxpayers filing separately to utilize
the current data retrieval tool to its full capacity.
``(2) Use of tax return in application process.--The
Secretary shall continue to examine whether data provided by
the Internal Revenue Service can be used to generate an
expected family contribution without additional action on the
part of the student and taxpayer.
``(3) Reports on fafsa simplification efforts.--Not less
than once every other year, the Secretary shall report to the
authorizing committees on the progress of the simplification
efforts under this subsection.
``(4) Reports on fafsa access.--Not less than once every 10
years, the Secretary shall report to the authorizing
committees on the needs of limited English proficient
students using the FAFSA.''.
(b) Funding.--
(1) Use of existing funds.--Of the amount authorized to be
appropriated to the Department of Education to maintain the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid, $3,000,000 shall be
available to carry out this Act and the amendments made by
this Act.
(2) No additional funds authorized.--No funds are
authorized by this Act to be appropriated to carry out this
Act or the amendments made by this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Nevada (Mr. Heck) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nevada.
General Leave
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
to include any extraneous material on H.R. 5528.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Nevada?
There was no objection.
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5528, the Simplifying the
Application for Student Aid Act.
Early last year, I held a roundtable on higher education in my
district to help better understand the issues facing students,
teachers, and higher ed administrators in Nevada. Nearly everyone in
attendance raised the issue of the overly complicated student aid
process and, specifically, problems with the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid, better known as the FAFSA.
Like many aspects of the student aid system, the application for aid
can be
[[Page H4612]]
confusing and too complex for many students and families to complete.
The FAFSA includes 108 questions, requesting information on everything
from the net worth of investments to complicated tax information. Many
of these questions rely on data that students do not yet have or are so
complicated they deter applicants from even completing the form.
It is critically important that students have the information they
need to make timely, informed decisions about higher education; that
includes information on what aid might be available to help them pursue
a college degree and the responsibilities that come with accepting
assistance.
If the current process deters them from even completing the
application for aid, how can students possibly get the help they need?
That is why, based on the recommendation of higher ed leaders in
Nevada, I began working with some of my colleagues on the committee to
reform the FAFSA and improve the student aid application process.
The Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act, which I am proud
to sponsor with Representatives Roe of Tennessee, Polis, and Pocan, is
the fruit of that labor and does exactly what the title suggests. It
will streamline and improve the application process through a number of
commonsense measures, all of which will help students and parents
access the financial aid information they need in a timely manner to
better understand their higher education payment options.
First, it will allow students to use income tax data from 2 years
prior to the date of application. Traditionally, the FAFSA has relied
on income tax data from the previous year, but that data is not readily
available when students should begin filling out their applications.
While the Department of Education currently has the authority to allow
students to use prior-prior year data, the Department only recently
began taking advantage of this authority, and only after the
introduction of the original legislation on this issue.
This bill will ensure students are able to use prior-prior year data
in the future, allowing them to complete the FAFSA earlier and receive
information about their aid options sooner. It will also provide aid
administrators more time to verify the income of applicants, both
strengthening the integrity of the Federal Student Aid system and
enabling administrators to provide students with accurate aid
information as soon as possible.
Additionally, the legislation will require the Department of
Education to allow more applicants to easily import their available
income data through the IRS, helping them automatically populate
answers to many FAFSA questions with information from their tax
returns, making it easier on students and parents to accurately
complete the form. The bill will also require that FAFSA be available
on a mobile app and require the online and paper versions to be
consumer tested. Both of these measures will make the application
process easier and more user friendly and will work to ensure that data
is protected.
By improving the application for student aid, we can help more
students make smart decisions about college and realize that a college
degree is within reach.
I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 5528, the Simplifying the Application
for Student Aid Act.
Last year, Representative Doggett of Texas and I led a letter to
then-Secretary Duncan regarding the importance of prior-prior year
FAFSA.
Allowing students to use prior years' tax data means a student can
apply for financial aid at the same time they apply for college. This
means that students will get information about financial aid, which
will help them make their college choice much earlier. This is
especially helpful for first-generation and at-risk college students
who need an accurate picture of a college's price tag well in advance
in order to make their decision.
In September, I was happy to see President Obama take executive
action to allow for the use of prior-prior year tax data for students.
The bipartisan bill before us would make this executive action
permanent and is an important step toward making college more
affordable, ensuring future students are afforded the opportunity to
use prior year tax data when filling out the FAFSA form.
Additionally, the Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act
will also direct the Department of Education to develop a mobile app
for using FAFSA. This will allow millions of Americans who do not have
broadband access but do have Internet connectivity on their phones to
have access to an electronic version of FAFSA.
Finally, this bill will also encourage the Department of Education to
study how the Department of Education can better reach out to students
with limited English language proficiency when filling out the FAFSA.
These are commonsense reforms which need to be made in order to
streamline the process for students applying to college.
While there is a lot more we can do to tackle college affordability,
I am pleased we are moving forward with this important, bipartisan
legislation today.
I thank the financial aid office at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison for first raising this issue to us, and I also thank the
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck) for his leadership on this issue.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5528,
the Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act, and I encourage my
fellow Members to support it as well.
Under this bill, students and parents will be able to apply for
financial aid when filling out college applications and will no longer
have to wait until they have filed the current year's tax returns in
order to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or
FAFSA, form. Prior to this change, some families could not fill out the
FAFSA form until they had filled out their taxes in April--or even
later, with an extension--and, therefore, many students could not
receive financial aid in a timely manner.
In a 2013 report from the National Association of Student Financial
Aid Administrators report on using what is called using prior-prior
year FAFSA data, they found that the expected family contribution of
low-income students does not change much over time and concluded that
the potential benefits of using prior-prior year data outweighed the
potential cost. So last year, President Obama directed the Department
of Education to switch to prior-prior year on the FAFSA form through
executive action. Now, this bill will make that change permanent.
Another important provision of the bill will require the Secretary to
periodically report to Congress on the needs of limited English-
proficient students. To make sure that a college education is within
reach for all students, the Department should make the FAFSA form more
accessible to students and families with limited English proficiency.
Mr. Speaker, research has unfortunately shown us that too many
students fail to attend college simply because of the complexity of the
FAFSA form. This simplification will make it possible for them to fill
out the form and to achieve their dream of achieving higher education.
We know how important higher education is, and I am pleased that we
could come together in a bipartisan fashion to make these important
changes.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Colorado (Mr. Polis).
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5528,
the Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act.
I have the great privilege of representing Colorado's major research
universities: Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and the
University of Colorado flagship campus in Boulder, Colorado. When I
speak with financial aid offices and students who receive financial aid
at both institutions, one of the first priorities and issues I hear
about is how we can allow students to
[[Page H4613]]
complete the FAFSA and hear back earlier.
The FAFSA was initially created to help open the doors and make
college within reach for more students; but unfortunately, too often,
it has grown unwieldy, and students are forced to make decisions about
where they go and whether they go to college before even knowing how
much aid they are scheduled to receive.
Under this legislation, students will be able to complete the FAFSA
several months earlier than they do now--very important. And the bill
also links data with the IRS data retrieval tool, so information can
populate automatically in the FAFSA form. These changes alone will go a
long way toward making the process for completing the FAFSA simpler and
easier.
I am proud to have worked with Representatives Pocan, Roe of
Tennessee, and Heck of Nevada to have introduced this bill, and I am
very excited it is coming before the floor for a vote.
Now, this bill is important. It is a good, bipartisan first step, but
it is one of many things that Congress needs to do to improve college
access and the completion rate for students.
For example, allowing students to take college courses in high school
could significantly reduce the overall price they pay for college. When
a student takes dual enrollment courses, they are more likely to attend
college and less likely to need remedial courses. We have high schools
in my home State and in my district where students graduate high school
with an associate's degree at essentially no cost to them, thanks to
dual enrollment.
We also need to look at innovative learning models, like competency-
based education, which allows students to progress through their degree
based on what they know instead of seat time. This model provides a
more flexible path to a degree. It could be higher quality, less
expensive, and more challenging than a traditional program.
Another key part of reducing the cost of college is confronting the
cost of materials. A student in Colorado spends an average of $1,200 a
year on textbooks alone. Open source textbooks, which are openly
licensed and free to use, can eliminate that cost.
In order to address these ideas, reforms, and more, we need a
comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. A
reauthorization will take Democrats and Republicans working together,
just like we did on this bill, which is an important first step.
I am hopeful that, in the coming months, members of the Education and
the Workforce Committee can begin to lay the groundwork for a
reauthorization of the HEA that truly helps make college more
affordable and meets the changing needs of a global economy.
Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. HECK of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
In closing, I thank, again, Representatives Roe of Tennessee, Polis,
and Pocan for their leadership in bringing this commonsense bill to the
floor today. I thank all of our colleagues on the Education and the
Workforce Committee for their work to strengthen the country's higher
education system.
Too many individuals already think the dream of a higher education
could never become a reality for them. Too many others are discouraged
by a system that is too confusing, too bureaucratic, and too outdated.
The Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act and the other
higher education bills on the floor today will deliver important
reforms that Americans need. This bill will help students and parents
better understand their postsecondary options and empower them to make
timely financial decisions about their education.
I urge my colleagues to support this education.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5528 the
``Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act'' which aims to
strengthen, improve, and streamline student aid process.
Access to quality education is a key factor in securing a successful
and bright future.
For many students and families, federal financial aid is the only
means of making postsecondary education possible.
In times of economic adversity and uncertainty across the United
States, the Simplifying the Application for Student Aid Act ensures
that students and families are supported in realizing their education
goals.
A student's application process starts when he or she submits the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Students who wish to enroll in fall classes are encouraged to begin
applying for aid in January.
However, the FAFSA relies on income tax data from the previous year
that is not readily available at the time students should start filling
out their applications.
This flawed process results in significant delays in the submission
of FAFSA forms, which leaves financial aid administrators little time
to put together aid packages for incoming students.
More importantly, students do not learn in a timely manner what their
financial aid packages will ultimately be, which makes it more
difficult to plan for the cost of their education.
The current application runs 10 pages long and includes 108 questions
on topics such as income, expenses, family size, and assets.
As part of an effort to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, the
bipartisan legislation will help students make timely financial
decisions about their education.
In addition this bill will allow students to use family income data
from two years prior to the date of the FAFSA application.
Establishes a link between the online FAFSA form and income tax data
stored by the Internal Revenue Service to automatically input income
data into the FAFSA form, reducing the need to manually input
information that often prevents low-income students from applying for
aid.
And most importantly, strengthens the integrity of federal financial
aid by providing institutions more time to verify the income of their
students.
As the country continues to work through some of the most difficult
economic conditions in a generation, it is imperative that we increase
our investment in education.
If we are truly going to compete against emerging nations like China
and India, we must continue to invest in our education system.
I am proud to represent Houston, Texas which is home to several
prestigious universities and dozens of community and technical
colleges.
With such an emphasis on higher education, we have long been working
to become a leader in producing workers for the 21st century economy.
This crucial legislation will build on the infrastructure already
available in Houston and make higher education more affordable and
accessible for everyone.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5528, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________