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Bill
Notes

H.R. 1911 — what changed

Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013

From Reported in House to Engrossed in House. 1 section amended, 5 added, and 2 removed between Reported in House and Engrossed in House.

Section 1 Table of Contents

changed This The table of contents for this Act may be cited is as the “Smarter Solutions for Students Act”.follows:

Sec. 2 Student loan interest rates

removed

removed Section 455(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(b)) is amended—

(1)
removed in paragraph (7)—
(A)
removed in the paragraph heading, by inserting “, and before July 1, 2013” after “2006”;
(B)
removed in subparagraph (A), by inserting “and before July 1, 2013,” after “2006,”;
(C)
removed in subparagraph (B), by inserting “and before July 1, 2013,” after “2006,”; and
(D)
removed in subparagraph (C), by inserting “and before July 1, 2013,” after “2006,”;
(2)
removed by redesignating paragraphs (8) and (9) as paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively; and
(3)
removed by inserting after paragraph (7), the following:

removed “(8) Interest rate provision for new loans on or after July 1, 2013

removed “(A) Rates for fdsl and fdusl—Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this subsection, for Federal Direct Stafford Loans and Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for which the first disbursement is made on or after July 1, 2013, the applicable rate of interest shall, during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, be determined on the preceding June 1 and be equal to—

removed “(i) the high-yield 10-year Treasury notes auctioned at the final auction held prior to such June 1; plus

removed “(ii) 2.5 percent,

removed “(B) PLUS Loans—Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this subsection, for any Federal Direct PLUS Loan for which the first disbursement is made on or after July 1, 2013, the applicable rate of interest shall, during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, be determined on the preceding June 1 and be equal to—

removed “(i) the high-yield 10-year Treasury notes auctioned at the final auction held prior to such June 1; plus

removed “(ii) 4.5 percent,

removed “(C) Consolidation Loans—Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this subsection, any Federal Direct Consolidation Loan for which the application is received on or after July 1, 2013, shall bear interest at an annual rate on the unpaid principal balance of the loan that is equal to the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans consolidated, rounded to the nearest higher one-eighth of one percent.”

Sec. 3 Budgetary effects

removed
(a)
removed Paygo scorecard— The budgetary effects of this Act shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
(b)
removed Senate paygo scorecard— The budgetary effects of this Act shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section 201 of S. Con. Res. 21 (110th Congress).

Sec. 101 Short title

added

added This title may be cited as the “Smarter Solutions for Students Act”.

Sec. 102 Student loan interest rates

added

added Section 455(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(b)) is amended—

(1)
added in paragraph (7)—
(A)
added in the paragraph heading, by inserting “, and before July 1, 2013” after “2006”;
(B)
added in subparagraph (A), by inserting “and before July 1, 2013,” after “2006,”;
(C)
added in subparagraph (B), by inserting “and before July 1, 2013,” after “2006,”; and
(D)
added in subparagraph (C), by inserting “and before July 1, 2013,” after “2006,”;
(2)
added by redesignating paragraphs (8) and (9) as paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively; and
(3)
added by inserting after paragraph (7), the following:

added “(8) Interest rate provision for new loans on or after July 1, 2013

added “(A) Rates for fdsl and fdusl—Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this subsection, for Federal Direct Stafford Loans and Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for which the first disbursement is made on or after July 1, 2013, the applicable rate of interest shall, during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, be determined on the preceding June 1 and be equal to—

added “(i) the high-yield 10-year Treasury notes auctioned at the final auction held prior to such June 1; plus

added “(ii) 2.5 percent,

added “(B) PLUS Loans—Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this subsection, for any Federal Direct PLUS Loan for which the first disbursement is made on or after July 1, 2013, the applicable rate of interest shall, during any 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, be determined on the preceding June 1 and be equal to—

added “(i) the high-yield 10-year Treasury notes auctioned at the final auction held prior to such June 1; plus

added “(ii) 4.5 percent,

added “(C) Consolidation Loans—Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this subsection, any Federal Direct Consolidation Loan for which the application is received on or after July 1, 2013, shall bear interest at an annual rate on the unpaid principal balance of the loan that is equal to the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans consolidated, rounded to the nearest higher one-eighth of one percent.”

Sec. 103 Budgetary effects

added
(a)
added Paygo scorecard— The budgetary effects of this Act shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
(b)
added Senate paygo scorecard— The budgetary effects of this Act shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section 201 of S. Con. Res. 21 (110th Congress).

Sec. 201 Short title

added

added This title may be cited as the “Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act”.

Sec. 202 Study on improvements to postsecondary education transparency at the Federal level

added
(a)
added Formation of Advisory Committee on Improving Postsecondary Education Data—
(1)
added In general— Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall convene the Advisory Committee on Improving Postsecondary Education Data (in this Act referred to as the “Advisory Committee”), which shall be comprised of 15 members who represent economically, racially, and geographically diverse populations appointed by the Secretary in consultation with the Commissioner for Education Statistics, including—
(A)
added individuals representing different sectors of institutions of higher education, including individuals representing undergraduate and graduate education;
(B)
added experts in the field of higher education policy;
(C)
added State officials;
(D)
added students and other stakeholders from the higher education community;
(E)
added representatives from the business community;
(F)
added experts in choice in consumer markets;
(G)
added privacy experts;
(H)
added college and career counselors at secondary schools;
(I)
added experts in data policy, collection, and use; and
(J)
added experts in labor markets.
(2)
added Chairperson— The Secretary shall appoint the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee.
(b)
added Study required— The Advisory Committee shall conduct a study examining—
(1)
added the types of information, including information related to costs of postsecondary education, sources of financial assistance (including Federal student loans), student outcomes, and postgraduation earnings, the Federal Government should collect and report on institutions of higher education to assist students and families in their search for an institution of higher education;
(2)
added how such information should be collected and reported, including how to disaggregate information on student outcomes by subgroups of students, such as full-time students, part-time students, nontraditional students, first generation college students, students who are veterans, and Federal Pell Grant recipients under subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a); and
(3)
added the ways in which the Federal Government may make such information more readily available to—
(A)
added students and their families in a format that is easily accessible and understandable, and will aid students and their families in making decisions; and
(B)
added States, local governments, secondary schools, individual or groups of institutions of higher education, and private-sector entities.
(c)
added Scope of study— In conducting the study under this Act, the Advisory Committee shall, at a minimum, examine—
(1)
added whether the current Federal transparency initiatives on postsecondary education—
(A)
added are reporting consistent information about individual institutions of higher education across Federal agencies; and
(B)
added are similar to transparency initiatives on postsecondary education carried out by States, individual or groups of institutions of higher education, or private-sector entities;
(2)
added whether—
(A)
added the collection and reporting of postgraduation earnings by the Federal Government is feasible, and if feasible, the options for collecting and reporting such information;
(B)
added collecting and reporting such information would improve the use of Federal transparency initiatives and ease decisionmaking for students and their families; and
(C)
added collecting and reporting such information would have an impact on student privacy, and if so, how such impact may be minimized;
(3)
added whether any other information, including information relating to student outcomes or identified under the review required under subsection (d), should be collected and reported by the Federal Government to improve the utility of such initiatives for students and their families, and if so, how such information may be collected and reported, including whether the information should be disaggregated by subgroups of students;
(4)
added whether any information currently collected and reported by the Federal Government on institutions of higher education is not useful for students and their families and should not be so collected and reported;
(5)
added the manner in which the information from Federal transparency initiatives is made available to students and their families, and whether format changes may help the information become more easily understood and widely utilized by students and their families;
(6)
added any activities being carried out by the Federal Government, States, individual or groups of institutions of higher education, or private-sector entities to help inform students and their families of the availability of Federal transparency initiatives;
(7)
added the cost to institutions of higher education of reporting to the Federal Government the information that is being collected and reported through Federal transparency initiatives, and how such cost may be minimized; and
(8)
added the relevant research described in subsection (d).
(d)
added Review of relevant research— In conducting the study under this Act, the Advisory Committee shall review and consider—
(1)
added research and studies, if any, that have been conducted to determine questions most frequently asked by students and families to help inform their search for an institution of higher education;
(2)
added the types of information students seek before enrolling in an institution of higher education;
(3)
added whether the availability to students and their families of additional information on institutions of higher education will be beneficial or confusing;
(4)
added results, if any, that are available from consumer testing of Federal, State, institution of higher education, and private-sector transparency initiatives on postsecondary education that have been made publicly available on or after the date that is 10 years before the date of enactment of this Act; and
(5)
added any gaps in the research, studies, and results described in paragraphs (1) and (4) relating to the types of information students seek before enrolling in an institution of higher education.
(e)
added Consultation—
(1)
added In general— In conducting the study under this Act, the Advisory Committee shall—
(A)
added hold public hearings to consult with parents and students; and
(B)
added consult with a broad range of interested parties in higher education, including appropriate researchers, representatives of secondary schools (including college and career counselors) and institutions of higher education from different sectors of such institutions (including undergraduate and graduate education), State administrators, and Federal officials.
(2)
added Consultation with the authorizing committees— The Advisory Committee shall consult on a regular basis with the authorizing committees in conducting the study under this Act.
(f)
added Reports to authorizing committees—
(1)
added Interim report— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Advisory Committee shall prepare and submit to the authorizing committees and the Secretary an interim report describing the progress made in conducting the study under this Act and any preliminary findings on the topics identified under subsection (c).
(2)
added Final report—
(A)
added In general— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Advisory Committee shall prepare and submit to the authorizing committees and the Secretary a final report on the study, including—
(i)
added recommendations for legislative, regulatory, and administrative actions based on findings related to the topics identified under subsection (c); and
(ii)
added a summary of the research described in subsection (d).
(B)
added Consultation with 0NCES— The Advisory Committee shall consult with the Commissioner of Education Statistics prior to making recommendations under subparagraph (A)(i) with respect to improving the information being collected and reported by the Federal Government on institutions of higher education.
(g)
added Availability of funds— The amount necessary to conduct the study under this Act shall be made available from amounts available to the Secretary for administrative expenses of the Department of Education.
(h)
added Definitions— For purposes of this Act:
(1)
added Authorizing committees— The term authorizing committees has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003).
(2)
added First generation college student— The term first generation college student has the meaning given the term in section 402A(h) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11(h)).
(3)
added Institution of higher education— The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), except that such term does not include institutions described in subsection (a)(1)(C) of such section 102.
(4)
added Secondary school— The term secondary school has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(5)
added Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
(6)
added State— The term State has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003).
(7)
added Student— The term student includes—
(A)
added a prospective student;
(B)
added a student enrolled in an institution of higher education;
(C)
added a nontraditional student (as defined in section 803(j)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161c(j)(2))); and
(D)
added a veteran (as defined in section 480(c)(1) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(c)(1))) who is a student or prospective student.