Bill Summary
This legislation, called the "Improving College Affordability for our Guard and Reserve Act," aims to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include all members of the armed forces as "independent students" for the purpose of determining their eligibility for federal financial assistance. This means that veterans and active members of the Armed Forces, including National Guard and Reserve members, will be considered independent students when applying for financial aid for college. This legislation is intended to make college more affordable for members of the military who may face financial challenges due to their service.
Possible Impacts
1. This legislation could potentially affect members of the Armed Forces by making them eligible for Federal financial assistance as independent students. This could greatly benefit those who may not have been eligible for financial aid before and may now have more options for paying for higher education.
2. The bill could also impact the affordability of college for members of the Guard and Reserve, as it is specifically aimed at improving affordability for these individuals. This could help alleviate the financial burden on these service members and their families.
3. The change in the definition of an independent student could also have an impact on how colleges and universities handle the financial aid process for these individuals. They may need to make adjustments to their policies and procedures in order to accommodate the new eligibility requirements.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7372 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7372
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include all members of the
Armed Forces in the definition of ``independent student'' for purposes
of determining the eligibility of such members for Federal financial
assistance, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2020
Mr. Reschenthaler (for himself, Mr. Trone, Mr. Brown of Maryland, Mr.
Thompson of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Ryan) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include all members of the
Armed Forces in the definition of ``independent student'' for purposes
of determining the eligibility of such members for Federal financial
assistance, and for other purposes.
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 ``Improving College Affordability for
our Guard and Reserve Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF INDEPENDENT STUDENT.
Section 480(d)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1087vv(d)(1)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (I) as
subparagraphs (F) through (J), respectively; and
(2) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the
following:
``(D) is a veteran of the Armed Forces (as defined
in subsection (c)(1));
``(E) is a member of the Armed Forces (including
the National Guard or Reserve) without regard to
whether such individual is serving on active duty;''.
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