[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 13, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H13819-H13820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COLLEGE COST REDUCTION AND ACCESS ACT TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS OF 2007

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4153) to make certain technical corrections and 
transition amendments to the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4153

       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 ``College Cost Reduction and 
     Access Act Technical Amendments of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. FEDERAL PELL GRANTS.

       (a) Correction of Designation.--
       (1) CCRAA amendment.--Section 101(a)(2) of the College Cost 
     Reduction and Access Act (Public Law 110-84) is amended by 
     striking ``paragraphs (4) through (9) as paragraphs (3) 
     through (8)'' and inserting ``paragraphs (4) through (8) as 
     paragraphs (3) through (7)''.
       (2) Redesignation.--Paragraph (9) of section 401(b) of the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(b)(9)), as 
     added by section 102(b) of the College Cost Reduction and 
     Access Act (Public Law 110-84), is redesignated as paragraph 
     (8).
       (b) Revision of Availability Rule.--Paragraph (8) of 
     section 401(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as 
     redesignated by subsection (a)(2) of this section) is amended 
     by striking subparagraph (F) and inserting the following:
       ``(F) Use of fiscal year funds for award years.--The 
     amounts made available by subparagraph (A) for any fiscal 
     year shall remain available for the fiscal year succeeding 
     the fiscal year for which such amounts are made available.''.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF UNTAXED INCOME AND BENEFITS.

       (a) Amendment.--Section 480(b) of the Higher Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(b)) is amended by striking 
     paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
       ``(2) The term `untaxed income and benefits' shall not 
     include--
       ``(A) the amount of additional child tax credit claimed for 
     Federal income tax purposes;
       ``(B) welfare benefits, including assistance under a State 
     program funded under part A of title IV of the Social 
     Security Act and aid to dependent children;
       ``(C) the amount of earned income credit claimed for 
     Federal income tax purposes;
       ``(D) the amount of credit for Federal tax on special fuels 
     claimed for Federal income tax purposes;
       ``(E) the amount of foreign income excluded for purposes of 
     Federal income taxes; or
       ``(F) untaxed social security benefits.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--This section and the amendment made by 
     this section shall take effect on July 1, 2009.

     SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF INDEPENDENT STUDENT.

       (a) Amendment.--Section 480(d)(1) of the Higher Education 
     Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d)(1)) is amended by striking 
     subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:
       ``(B) is an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the court, 
     or was an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the court at 
     any time when the individual was 13 years of age or older;''.
       (b) Effective Date.--This section and the amendment made by 
     this section shall take effect on July 1, 2009.

     SEC. 5. INCOME-BASED REPAYMENT FOR MARRIED BORROWERS FILING 
                   SEPARATELY.

       Section 493C of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1098e) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Special Rule for Married Borrowers Filing 
     Separately.--In the case of a married borrower who files a 
     separate Federal income tax return, the Secretary shall 
     calculate the amount of the borrower`s income-based repayment 
     under this section solely on the basis of the borrower's 
     student loan debt and adjusted gross income.''.

     SEC. 6. DEFERRAL OF LOAN REPAYMENT FOLLOWING ACTIVE DUTY.

       Section 493D(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 1098f(a)) is amended by

[[Page H13820]]

     inserting ``or full-time National Guard duty'' after ``is 
     called or ordered to active duty''.

     SEC. 7. TEACH GRANTS.

       Subpart 9 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et seq.) is amended--
       (1) in section 420L(1)(B), by striking ``sound'' and 
     inserting ``responsible'';
       (2) in section 420M--
       (A) by striking ``academic year'' each place it appears in 
     subsections (a)(1) and (c)(1) and inserting ``year''; and
       (B) in subsection (c)(2)--
       (i) by striking ``other student assistance'' and inserting 
     ``other assistance the student may receive''; and
       (ii) by striking the second sentence.

     SEC. 8. REDESIGNATION AND RELOCATION.

       The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) 
     is further amended--
       (1) by redesignating part J of title IV (as added by 
     section 802 of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act 
     (Public Law 110-84)) as part G of title III of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965, and moving such part from the end of 
     title IV to the end of title III of such Act; and
       (2) by redesignating section 499A (as added by such section 
     802) as section 399A.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Keller) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days 
during which Members may insert material relevant to H.R. 4153 into the 
Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  H.R. 4153, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act Technical 
Amendments, makes a number of technical changes to the College Cost 
Reduction and Access Act in order to ensure that the Department of 
Education and other relevant stakeholders reflect congressional intent 
when implementing the law.
  Mr. Speaker, during this Congress we have made significant 
commitments to our Nation's students and families by putting resources 
in the hands of those who need them most. The College Cost Reduction 
and Access Act, as passed and signed by the President, does more to 
help Americans pay for college than any effort since the GI Bill, at no 
new cost to taxpayers.
  Specifically, the legislation provided a landmark investment of $20 
billion in additional funding for Pell Grants, reductions in the 
interest rate on student loans, and the creation of programs to help 
students manage debt, as well as encourage individuals to pursue public 
service. Providing this critical funding is a large part of our efforts 
to increase access and affordability to higher education.
  Our work on reforming and strengthening higher education is not 
finished for this Congress. I look forward to working with Chairman 
Miller and the rest of the Education and Labor Committee on the 
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which we are set to mark 
up in committee tomorrow.
  The technical amendments contained in this bill include: ensuring 
that the mandatory Pell funding is available for the full award year, 
which is the current fiscal year and the following fiscal year, to 
match the availability of discretionary Pell funding.
  It clarifies the definition of untaxed income and benefits to ensure 
that it does not include those items in the calculations that were 
removed from the list under the College Cost Reduction Act.
  It clarifies that students who were in foster care anytime after age 
13 are independent for purposes of calculating eligibility for Federal 
student aid.
  It clarifies that married borrowers' income-based repayment payments 
shall be determined solely on the individual borrower's loan 
information and the individual's income without considering spouse's 
income or any loan debt they may have if the married borrower files 
taxes separately.
  It ensures that members of the National Guard who are serving full-
time are considered active duty for purposes of student loan deferment 
benefits.
  It conforms language in the TEACH grant program to ensure appropriate 
implementation.
  And it moves the funds provided to HBCUs and MSIs to title III of the 
Higher Education Act.
  Mr. Speaker, swift passage of H.R. 4153 will ensure that students and 
families will fully benefit from the program's funding and intent 
provided in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.
  I urge my colleagues to support this provision.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KELLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as the former chairman of the 
Higher Education Subcommittee, and now the ranking member, I rise in 
support of H.R. 4153, a bill which provides for technical changes to 
the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007.
  I was honored to be with President Bush on September 27, 2007, at the 
White House when he signed this important legislation into law. Joining 
me at that time was Chairman George Miller of the Education Committee, 
and the budget chairman, John Spratt. It was a special time to be there 
as the only Republican in Congress at that time seeing this historic 
legislation signed into law. It has been referred to by my colleagues 
as the most important piece of higher education legislation since the 
GI Bill in 1944.
  That legislation dramatically increased Pell Grant funding and cut 
student loan interest rates in half. For example, Pell Grant funding 
went from $4,310 up to $5,400 over a period of years. And the student 
loan interest rate for undergraduates was cut from 6.8 percent to 3.4 
percent.
  Well, what are we doing here today? As a follow-up to that important 
legislation, today we are making some necessary technical 
clarifications and corrections to ensure that the act is implemented 
just as Congress intended. For example, this piece of technical 
legislation will clarify that members of the Armed Forces reserves are 
eligible for student loan deferments when they return home after 
serving abroad.
  This legislation will ensure that students whose loan applications 
were submitted prior to the law's effective date are not unnecessarily 
subjected to higher rates or deprived of important student loan 
benefits.
  This package of technical corrections will improve our financial aid 
programs by clarifying the intent of the recently enacted College Cost 
Reduction and Access Act. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to join us today in supporting this important measure and voting 
``yes'' on H.R. 4153.
  Mr. KELLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4153, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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