1. Jennifer G. Sandler University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Legislative Update
Jennifer G. Sandler
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

2. Reauthorization Refresher
Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) governs the administration of Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs
“to assist in making available the benefits of postsecondary education to eligible students”
Most recent reauthorization: August
Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) was set to expire at the end of but continues to be extended by Congress
Image source: LBJ Presidential Library

3. 115th United States Congress
Meets 1/3/2017-1/3/2019
Congress and the Presidency under unified Republican control
Legislative accomplishments of note to ED and FAA:
5/5/2017: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017
8/16/2017: Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act
“Forever GI Bill”
12/22/2017: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
3/23/2018: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
9/28/2018: Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019

4. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
Overall $3.9 billion increase for ED
Increased Pell Grant maximum to $6,095
Provided $107 million increase for FSEOG
Provided $140 million increase for FWS
Set aside $350 million to expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Clarified data-sharing restrictions with scholarship-granting organizations
Included Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act
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5. Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019
ED increases included in a larger spending bill that includes Departments of Defense, Labor, and Health and Human Services
Increases Pell Grant maximum to $6,195
Provides $50 million increase for TRIO
Provides $70 million increase for Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) grants
Provides an additional $350 million for PSLF expansion approved in FY18 Appropriations
Enables students diagnosed with cancer to defer repayment during treatment
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6. Midterm Elections Tuesday, November 6, 2018
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Midterm Elections
Tuesday, November 6, 2018

7. US House of Representatives
The U.S. House of Representatives has seats: 235 Republicans, Democrats, and 7 vacancies. All 435 seats are up on Tuesday.
Democrats need a net gain of 23 Republican seats to take control of the House.

8. US Senate
The U.S. Senate has seats: 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats (including two independents). There are 35 seats up on Tuesday - of which 26 are held by Democrats.
Democrats need a net gain of two Republican seats to take control of the Senate.

9. (H.R. 4508)
House Republicans’ reauthorization bill- Introduced 12/1/2017 and passed out of Committee on Education and the Workforce 12/13/2017; awaiting floor vote by full House
Key provisions:
Access
Extending Pell Grant eligibility for shorter, career-focused programs and offering Pell “bonus” to students enrolled in 15 credits per term
FAFSA simplification-increases AGI limit to qualify for Simplified Needs Test, excludes 529 plans from asset calculation
Simplification
Streamlining FSA: One Grant, One Loan, One Work-Study-eliminating FSEOG, TEACH, Direct Subsidized Loans, PLUS Loans and FWS for graduate students
Improving Federal Student Loans-eliminating origination fees, reducing repayment plans-one Standard and one IBR
Consumer Information
Improving early awareness-ED and institutions must notify HS sophomores of estimated FSA eligibility
Enhancing financial aid counseling-expanding counseling to Pell Grant recipients and parent borrowers, introducing annual loan counseling
Institutional Accountability
Shifting burden of repaying unearned Title IV aid to institutions in R2T4 calculations
Replacing institutional-level CDR with program-level CDR

10. (H.R. 6543)
House Democrats’ reauthorization bill- Introduced 7/26/2018 and referred to Committee (Education and the Workforce)
Key provisions:
Access
Extending FSA eligibility to DACA students
Extending FSA eligibility to incarcerated students
FAFSA simplification-three pathway system enabling Pell Grant recipients to file FAFSA once
Affordability
Strengthening Pell-extending eligibility to 14 semesters, increasing maximum Pell award, indexing Pell to inflation
Strengthening FSEOG-remodeling allocation formula to account for institutional unmet need
Improving Federal Student Loans-eliminating origination fees, reviving Perkins, reducing repayment plans and codifying automatic IBR enrollment
Completion
Amending FERPA to allow for reverse transfer of data and potential retroactive awarding of degrees
Providing additional supports for foster care and homeless youth-institutional liaisons, housing between terms
Expanding funding for HBCUs, HSIs, and other MSIs

11. Questions?