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S. 1346 116th Congress Senate

Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2019

Official title: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary to provide for the use of data from the second preceding tax year to carry out the si… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary to provide for the use of data from the second preceding tax year to carry out the simplification of applications for the estimation and determination of financial aid eligibility, to increase the income threshold to qualify for a student aid index equal to or less than zero, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 7, 2019 Introduced by: Cory A. Booker Democratic · New Jersey See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 7, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
May 7, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action May 7, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2019

This bill revises the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process and modifies federal student aid eligibility for certain students.

Among other things, the bill revises FAFSA to

  • remove certain questions such as those regarding a student's criminal history, Selective Service registration, and combat pay information;
  • make it available to complete on a mobile device;
  • consolidate questions regarding a student's homeless status;
  • allow a student to automatically populate such form using data available from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS);
  • provide forms in the most common languages spoken at home in the United States; and
  • allow a student to complete FAFSA as an independent student under special circumstances.

The bill also modifies the student eligibility criteria for federal student financial aid to

  • deem a student eligible for a determination of a zero expected family contribution under certain circumstances, such as when a dependent student's parent participated in a means-tested benefits program (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Medicaid);
  • revise the simplified needs-analysis formula;
  • remove drug conviction and Selective Service registration provisions; and
  • make Dreamer students (i.e., students who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status) eligible for federal financial aid.

Additionally, the IRS must disclose certain tax return information to the Department of Education (ED) for the purpose of administering financial aid and loan programs.

The bill also authorizes ED to carry out an early federal Pell Grant commitment program.

 Related & companion bills 5
  • HR 640 Student Aid Simplification Act
  • HR 1075 FAFSA Fairness Act of 2019
  • S 416 FAFSA Fairness Act of 2019
  • S 1364 Early Pell Promise Act
  • HR 2486 FUTURE Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Democratic 3
D
Cortez Masto, Catherine
Nevada · May 7, 2019
 D
Gillibrand, Kirsten E.
New York · May 7, 2019
 D
Merkley, Jeff
Oregon · May 7, 2019
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1346: Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1346/
MLA
"S. 1346: Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1346/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1346, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1346/.
Markdown link
[S. 1346: Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1346/)
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