1. NCHER Priorities for the 115th Congress
Speakers: James P. Bergeron, President, NCHER
Vic Klatt, Principal, Penn Hill Group
Will Shaffner, Director of Business Development and Government Relations, Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA)
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

2. Current Advocacy Priorities
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

3. Promoting Student Success
Provide pre-college, in-school, and post-college financial education, debt management, and default prevention services to students, borrowers, and families
Strengthen existing entrance and exit counseling
Promote the use of 529 plans
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

4. Simplifying and Improving Student Aid
Streamline the myriad of repayment plans to help students and family borrowers
Simplify the FAFSA to reduce the number of questions and length of time required to complete the form
Support the use of prior-prior year tax information so students have a better idea of their federal financial aid options
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

5. Assisting Struggling Borrowers
Allow defaulted borrowers to rehab their student loans more than once
Allow access to the National Directory of New Hires and the National Student Loan Data System so servicers and guaranty agencies can provide counseling and repayment options to borrowers
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

6. Reducing Burdensome Federal Regulations
Repeal the preferred lender list restrictions
Clarify third-party servicer requirements
Allow state grant agencies to have access to the school list order
Provide authority to financial aid administrators to limit annual and aggregate student loan levels
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

7. Improve Program Administration
Promote better loan servicing for students and families, including the use of state and nonprofit organizations
Continue oversight over the Department of Education’s development of the FFELP wind-down report to ensure the financial stability of guaranty agencies and support payment of Account Maintenance Fees and just-in-time payments
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

8. Promoting Availability of Private Loans
Remove preferred lending list restrictions
Mandate that borrowers receive accurate and fully transparent disclosures of the costs of their loans
Permit private lenders to remove the default record upon the rehabilitation of a private loan
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

9. Leveraging Technology to Service and Recover Federal Debt (non-HEA)
Oppose the HANG UP Act to repeal the recent changes to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Urge the Federal Communications Commission not to impose regulations that are too restrictive and will harm borrowers
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

10. Promoting Tax-Exempt Financing (non-HEA)
Support H.R. 3822, the “Student Loan Opportunity Act” to update Section 150(d) of the Internal Revenue Code
Exempt Student-Loan Based Securities from the Alternative Minimum Tax
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

11. Accurately Measuring the True Costs of Federal Student Loans (non-HEA)
Support S. 399, the “Budget and Accounting Transparency Act” to require federal agencies to use Fair-Value Accounting when measuring the true costs of federal credit programs
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

12. Potential Changes to our Advocacy Priorities
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

13. New Advocacy Priorities
Take a position on “Risk-Sharing”, “Debt-Free College”, “One Loan-One Grant Program”, etc.
Support for maintaining tax-exempt financing
Support of legislation providing tax relief for death and disability
Reverse Dear Colleague Letter on collection costs
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

14. Updated Advocacy Priorities
Position paper on servicing needs to include proposals from “Mitchell Memo” and language included in House/Senate appropriations bills
Position paper on FFELP needs to include proposals from the U.S. Department of Education report on wind-down operations
Position paper on TCPA needs to include restrictions included in final rule and push for Department of Education waiver
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN

15. November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN
Questions?
2016 Knowledge Symposium
November 7 – 9, Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, TN