Fafsa Deadline Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act, which would set a firm October 1 deadline for the Department of Education to roll out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form starting in 2025. This bill will help millions of students and families access Federal financial aid in a timely manner.

We know that higher education is a pathway to opportunity, but the rising cost of college has made it out of reach for a lot of students. Federal student aid, including Pell grants and student loans, is essential to making college affordable.

That is why in 2020, I worked with Senator Lamar Alexander to pass the FAFSA Simplification Act, to make Federal student aid easier to access.

Regrettably, last year, technical problems with the newly redesigned FAFSA form delayed the students' access to this vital aid, and as a result, too many students could not submit their applications on time, and many struggled to get the support they needed to resolve those issues.

When the committee first considered this bill in July, I voted in opposition because I had serious concerns that the implementation deadline may have forced the Department of Education to roll out an incomplete form on October 1 of this year. However, because we are now considering the bill after October 1, the deadline will apply next year, 2025, and that gives the Department ample time to make improvements and fix any lingering issues.

We now have helpful information from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office that provided specific recommendations in how the Department can continue to improve the rollout and implementation of FAFSA.

H.R. 8932 sets a clear, firm deadline for rolling out FAFSA while still giving the Department of Education time to ensure the application functions properly for all students. The bill strikes a balance between ensuring timely access to financial aid and not compromising the quality of the application process.

We have made significant progress in simplifying the FAFSA and expanding financial aid in recent years. According to the Department of Education, despite the ongoing FAFSA challenges, roughly half a million more students received a Pell grant this year than last year due primarily to the changes in the formulas used.

Under the leadership of President Biden and congressional Democrats, the maximum Pell grant has increased by $900 over the last several years, giving students additional financial support to cover college costs. This bill will help ensure that even more students have the information they need in a timelier manner to access Pell grants and other vital student aid.

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. LEE CARTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act. I thank Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member Scott for their collaboration and efforts on this bill. I thank President Biden and Vice President Harris for working with the Department of Education and the great workers there to address the issues that occurred earlier.

This crucial legislation would set a firm October 1 deadline for the Department of Education to roll out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form to ensure students' access to Federal student aid in a timely manner.

For many students, FAFSA is a gateway to realizing their dreams of higher education.

In 2022, financial aid through grants or loans provided vital support to over 700,000 undergraduates in Texas in my district.

At Lone Star College, 100 percent of students receive financial aid, while 97 percent receive it at Texas Southern University, 66 percent at the University of Houston, and 39 percent at Houston Community College benefited from these essential resources.

As the cost of college continues to rise, it is crucial that we provide students with every opportunity to apply for financial aid in a timely manner, ensuring their applications are processed without delay.

As a mother, and like many parents here today, I look forward to the implementation of this legislation, which represents more than a deadline. It is a commitment to ensuring that students and parents have access to the resources they need to pursue higher education.

Access to affordable education should not be hindered by delays, and setting this October 1 deadline is a crucial step to make the FAFSA process more predictable and accessible for millions of students and families across our country.

Let us help all students focus on their studies and pursue their academic goals leading to the American Dream today.

I urge and encourage all my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act.

Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that this year's FAFSA process was a debacle. However, we are missing part of the story if we don't at least mention the work the Department has already done to get FAFSA back on track. The college support strategy deployed experts to colleges across the country to help financial aid officers navigate the new processing system.

The system provided one-time grants to school districts, States, and nonprofit organizations to scale up their ability to provide support to students. They had workshops, advising sessions, and media campaigns funded through the strategy to help produce a significant increase in FAFSA submissions throughout the summer.

Additionally, as the Department prepares for the launch of this year's FAFSA form, they are taking great strides in improving transparency and fixing technological issues.

I will include in the Record a document from the Department of Education titled: ``A focus on Improving the FAFSA Experience: Updates, actions, and a path forward for the 2025-26 cycle.'' This document outlines 10 core areas to focus on, making improvements to the FAFSA process for both students and colleges.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, which says, in part, that ``cementing an October launch date only addresses a piece of the puzzle; consistency is another. Students must be able to trust that the financial aid application process will function as intended and that they will receive clear communication along the way,'' and they wrote otherwise in support of the legislation. [From NASFAA, July 10, 2024] NASFAA Statement on FAFSA Deadline Act

Washington, DC.--Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have introduced a pair of bills that would ensure the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is made available to students on October 1 each year, ahead of their planned year of enrollment.

The FAFSA form has typically been made available on October 1 each year since 2016, months earlier than the legally mandated January 1 launch date. This discrepancy between common practice and law came into play during this year's turbulent FAFSA rollout, during which the updated ``Better FAFSA'' became available to students in a limited and incomplete fashion at the end of December 2023.

In response to this news, NASFAA Vice President of Public Policy & Federal Relations Karen McCarthy issued the following statement:

``Codifying the October 1 FAFSA launch date into law has been a top priority for NASFAA for many years because, when operating as intended, an earlier release date allows colleges and universities to provide financial aid information to students much sooner.

But cementing an October launch date only addresses a piece of the puzzle; consistency is another. Students must be able to trust that the financial aid application process will function as intended and that they will receive clear communication along the way.

This past year has shown us just how critical it is that all students are able to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Even today, there are aspects of the 2024-25 FAFSA system that are not yet functional or working as intended.

However, in the absence of a clear timeline or understanding from the Department of Education about when the entire FAFSA system will be available--including the application itself, the transfer of applicant data to schools, and the ability for applicants and schools to make corrections--forcing an October 1 deadline this year does not guarantee a fully functioning form, and may in fact work against efforts to release a product that has been tested and found to run smoothly. We need all stakeholders to work together in good faith to ensure this year's mistakes are not repeated.

We continue to urge the Department of Education to ensure that the entire FAFSA system is up and running as intended as soon as possible and at the same time the application goes live and to promptly communicate that timeline.''

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from The Hope Center at Temple University. They said: ``Students and their families deserve a form that is available all hours of the day, for all types of applicants, and results in the swift transfer of their information to the States and colleges that will develop their financial aid packages.''

They were ``concerned that implementing a rigid deadline less than 3 months away will force additional technical issues for applicants. Therefore, we request that you amend H.R. 8932 to start the new deadline on October 1, 2025.'' That is exactly what we have done in this underlying bill. The Hope Center, July 9, 2024. Hon. Virginia Foxx, Chairwoman, Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Bobby Scott, Ranking Member, Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member Scott: The last nine months have been challenging for students and their families. Problems associated with implementing the overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) have created significant confusion, frustration, and uncertainty for many of those applying for the financial aid they need to succeed in college. Therefore, we thank your Committee for its continued interest in getting the FAFSA back on track, especially for the upcoming 2025-26 cycle launching this fall. We write to comment on H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act.

In normal years, we agree that the FAFSA should be required to launch no later than nine months before the start of the next award year--or by October 1--a timeline now made possible with the use of prior-prior year tax data. Therefore, we have also joined in coalition requests to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) asking the agency to do everything possible to launch a fully functional FAFSA on time this year. However, it has become clear in recent weeks that ED continues to confront technical issues that could interrupt the usability of the 2025-26 FAFSA.

Students and their families deserve a form that is available at all hours of the day, for all types of applicants, and results in the swift transfer of their information to the states and colleges that will develop their aid packages. We must rebuild trust with applicants, college access professionals, and financial aid administrators, all of whom need to see a reliable FAFSA for them to have confidence in the entire system of financial aid.

Therefore, we believe it is preferable to have the 2025-26 FAFSA launch be slightly delayed but be fully functional, over an on-time October 1 launch that comes with technical issues and glitches, if such a tradeoff is at hand for the upcoming award year. After the 2025-26 cycle, we support an October 1 launch date requirement, but we are concerned that implementing a rigid deadline less than three months away will force additional technical issues for applicants. Therefore, we request that you amend H.R. 8932 to start the new deadline on October 1, 2025 (for the 2026-27 award year) and avoid legislative changes for the 2025-26 cycle.

Additionally, we request that the Committee require a public comment process for the 2026-27 award year and beyond by amending the applicable language in Section 483(a)(4) of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The public comment process is a vital opportunity for stakeholders, practitioners, and students to offer feedback on the design, wording, and format of the questions and help text. However, on June 17 of this year, ED announced that no public comment would be offered for the 2025-26 FAFSA and that the form would instead ``remain consistent'' with the prior year. Given the outstanding issues that remain with the FAFSA, we understand this short-term decision, and we acknowledge a more open- ended Request for Information (RFI) process is expected this summer. However, an RFI does not have the same requirements for ED to review each comment, and it should not be the standard in future years.

One result of legislating an October 1 launch date for 2026-27 and beyond may be that the agency again declines to offer public comment. We hope that such a result can be prevented by requiring a public comment process like the one that exists for other ED forms and significant rules for the Title IV programs. The Committee may also wish to examine and strengthen the consumer testing language in Section 483(b)(2) of the HEA to ensure that it is conducted more frequently, transparently, and effectively--including by requiring information on who is involved in such testing and how it results in updates to the form.

Finally, we note other legislative opportunities to increase the awareness and uptake of federal financial aid. The recipients of public and tax benefit programs--such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Earned Income Tax Credit--would benefit from receiving information about financial aid and vice versa. The FAFSA Simplification Act supported such interagency coordination to raise awareness of federal resources under Sections 483(c)(3) and 485E(c) of the HEA. Additionally, Section 485E(d) requires a public awareness campaign about Title IV aid involving entities such as institutions of higher education, organizations involved in college access and student financial aid, local educational agencies, public libraries, community centers, businesses, employers, workforce investment boards, and organizations that provide services to individuals who are or were homeless, in foster care, or are disconnected youth. However, these sections could benefit from additional requirements for these plans and campaigns, including legislative deadlines and additional funding.

Again, we thank the Committee for working to fix the FAFSA. With amendments to delay the effective date and require public comment, we could support H.R. 8932, but we have concerns in its current form. Given the importance of a functional financial aid system for all students, we also hope that the FAFSA remains a nonpartisan topic and that the Committee searches for consensus on this legislation. We would be happy to discuss the bill further or provide additional information that may be useful to your efforts, including suggested legislative language. We look forward to continuing this critical conversation as you consider other legislative proposals for the FAFSA and federal financial aid. Sincerely, Bryce McKibben, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy, The Hope Center at Temple University.

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter in support from the American Council on Education, a consortium of several national college organizations that are also in support. American Council on Education, Washington, DC, July 9, 2024. Hon. Virginia Foxx, Chairwoman, Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Bobby Scott, Ranking Member, Committee on Education and Workforce, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member Scott: On behalf of the undersigned higher education associations, we write to offer our support for H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act, which the committee will mark up tomorrow. This bill would move up the statutory date for the annual release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1 each year. Making such a change would have significant benefits for students applying or returning to college each year and is a priority of the higher education community.

Giving students additional time to fully understand the financial aid available to them is critical for a number of reasons. As we noted in our May 22, 2024, letter to your committee, ``moving the statutory deadline to October 1st would ensure that students have ample time to complete the form; give college access organizations and counselors time to support student completion; and allow institutions to process aid awards in time for students to make the best college decisions.'' This year, we have also seen the unfortunate consequences of delays in that information reaching students, with a current 11.6 percent decline in completed FAFSA applications at this point in the process.

We appreciate the effort and attention your committee has paid to improving the FAFSA process and to meeting the needs of low-income students. We strongly support the FAFSA Deadline Act and encourage your members to vote for it in a bipartisan manner when it is marked up tomorrow. Sincerely, Ted Mitchell, President.

On behalf of:

American Association of Community Colleges.

American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

American Council on Educatio.

Association of American Universities.

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, this bill is about improving the process going forward. Obviously, the FAFSA rollout was a debacle, but even though it was a debacle, the FAFSA Simplification Act has resulted in over half a million more students receiving financial aid. We need to make sure that students and families have the information they need to make informed decisions about their futures.

Since H.R. 8932 will be implemented for next year's form, 2025 and onward, I believe it strikes the right balance between setting a clear deadline and providing the flexibility for the Department of Education to fix any lingering issues as they finish implementing the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act this year.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation to help ensure financial aid is distributed promptly and effectively. I look forward to continuing to improve the FAFSA form and expanding access to financial aid as originally intended in the FAFSA Simplification Act.

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