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S. 4428 119th Congress Senate

No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026

Official title: A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the use of an identity fraud detection system in reviewing Free Applications for Federal Student Aid.

Introduced: April 29, 2026 Introduced by: Ashley Moody Republican · Florida See on congress.gov
Education
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 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 29, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Apr 29, 2026
Introduced in Senate
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What's happening now April 29, 2026

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

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026

This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an identity fraud detection system for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Beginning on October 1, 2026, ED must use an identity fraud detection system to review each submitted application to determine whether the applicant presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud. If ED makes such a determination, it must notify the applicant and each institution of higher education (IHE) designated on the application that the applicant is subject to additional identity verification.

An IHE may not disburse federal financial aid to an applicant that presents a reasonable suspicion of fraud unless the IHE verifies the applicant's identity in person or by live video. If the applicant's identity is confirmed, the IHE must notify ED that the applicant's identity has been verified.

ED must establish guidelines for the identity verification procedures conducted by IHEs.

(On April 26, 2026, ED began implementing a real-time identity fraud detection process within the FAFSA form that places applicants into one of four risk categories. High-risk applicants must confirm their identity by presenting documentation during the online application process, including via a live camera process. Applicants who are rejected via this automated process must then have their identity verified in person by IHEs.)

 Hearings & markups 1
 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 7892 Identical bill No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 16

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

See all 16 filings →
 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Democratic 1 Republican 3
R
Banks, Jim
Indiana · Sep 23, 2026
 R
Marshall, Roger
Kansas · Sep 22, 2026
 D
Hassan, Margaret Wood
New Hampshire · Apr 29, 2026
 R
Tuberville, Tommy
Alabama · Apr 29, 2026
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 4428: No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4428/
MLA
"S. 4428: No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4428/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 4428, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4428/.
Markdown link
[S. 4428: No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-S-4428/)
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