[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 44 (Friday, March 5, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10438-10439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4900]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance

AGENCY: Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Education.

ACTION: Notice of announcement of simplification study.

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SUMMARY: The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance has 
been charged by Congress to conduct objective, nonpartisan, and 
independent analyses on important aspects of the student assistance 
programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. In addition, 
Congress expanded the Committee's agenda in the Higher Education 
Amendments of 1998 in several important areas: access, Title IV 
modernization, distance education, and early information and needs 
assessment. Specifically, the Committee is to review, monitor and 
evaluate the Department of Education's progress in these areas and 
report recommended improvements to Congress and the Secretary.
    The FY 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2673), which was 
signed into law on January 23, 2004, directs the Advisory Committee to

[[Page 10439]]

examine the Federal financial aid formula and application forms in 
order to simplify and streamline the programs to make the system 
easier, more responsive, and fairer for students and families. The 
Advisory Committee is well suited to conduct this study, drawing upon 
the expertise of its 11 members and its experience conducting other 
broad studies on financial aid issues. The Advisory Committee also has 
the particular mission of examining the impact of these issues on low- 
and moderate-income students, a specific goal of the study.
    The legislative charge to the Advisory Committee calls for the 
study to be conducted in two phases resulting in an interim report and 
a final report. In executing the study, the Advisory Committee will:
     Examine options to simplify forms and reduce 
data elements;
     Address the student work penalty;
     Make recommendations on ways to measure the 
burden of state and local taxes on Expected Family Contribution (EFC);
     Discuss ways to provide students with an early 
notification of eligibility.
    The interim report will be complete six months from the enactment 
of the bill and will focus on legislative recommendations. The second 
phase of the study, which will yield a final report one year from 
enactment, will address regulatory and administrative solutions to 
financial aid simplification. The Advisory Committee will consult with 
a wide range of interested parties, and will also consult a forms 
design expert.
    The Advisory Committee initiated the simplification study with a 
hearing on February 5, 2004. At this hearing, the Advisory Committee 
heard from Congress, the Department of Education, members of the higher 
education community, and representatives of the early intervention and 
outreach community about their perspectives on simplification.
    The Advisory Committee has two regional field hearings scheduled to 
gather additional feedback about financial aid simplification. The 
Advisory Committee will conduct hearings at the University of Illinois 
at Chicago (UIC) on March 30, 2004, and at the Fashion Institute of 
Design and Merchandising (FIDM), Los Angeles Campus, on April 15, 2004.
    The Advisory Committee invites the public to submit written 
comments and recommendations to the following e-mail address: [email protected]. Information regarding the simplification study will also 
be available on the Advisory Committee's web site, http://www.ed.gov/ACSFA.

Study Questions and Goals

Can Federal Need Analysis Be Simplified and Improved?

     Can the methodology used to calculate the 
expected family contribution (EFC) be simplified without significant 
adverse effects on program intent, costs, integrity, delivery, and 
distribution of awards?
     Can the number of data elements, and, 
accordingly, the number and complexity of questions asked of students 
and families, used to calculate the EFC be reduced without significant 
adverse effects on program intent, costs, integrity, delivery, and 
distribution of awards?
     Are the procedures for determining the data 
elements used to calculate the EFC, including determining and updating 
offsets and allowances, the most efficient, effective, and fair means 
to determine a family's available income and assets?
     Is the methodology used to calculate the EFC, 
specifically the consideration of income earned by a dependent student 
and its effect on Pell Grant eligibility, an effective and fair means 
to determine a family's available income and a student's need?

Can Federal Student Air Delivery Be Streamlined and Improved?

     Can the nature and timing of the FAFSA, 
eligibility and award determination, financial aid processing, and 
funds delivery be streamlined further for students and families, 
institutions, and States?
     Is it feasible to allow students to complete 
only those limited sections of the FAFSA that apply to their specific 
circumstances and the State in which they reside?
     Can a widely disseminated printed form, or the 
use of an Internet or other electronic means, be developed to notify 
individuals of an estimation of their approximate eligibility for 
grant, work-study, and loan assistance upon completion and verification 
of the simplified application form?
     Can in formation provided on other Federal forms 
that are designed to determine eligibility for various Federal need-
based assistance programs be used to qualify potential students for the 
simplified needs test?
    This document is intended to notify the general public

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 23, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments about the simplification study to the 
Advisory Committee using the following email address: adv--
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Brian K. Fitzgerald, Staff 
Director, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Capitol 
Place, 80 F Street, NW., Suite 413, Washington, DC 20202-7582, (202) 
219-2099.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Simplification Study

    On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or 
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs 
assistance to review comments or other documents. Although we will 
attempt to meet a request we receive, we may not be able to make 
available the requested auxiliary aid or service because of 
insufficient time to arrange it.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To ensure that your comments have maximum 
effect in developing the final recommendations to Congress and the 
Secretary of Education, we urge you to identify clearly the specific 
study questions and goals that each of your comments addresses and to 
arrange your comments in the same order as indicated in the study 
announcement.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about the simplification study at Capitol Place, 80 F Street, 
NW., Suite 413, Washington, DC between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., eastern 
time, Monday through Friday (excluding Federal holidays). You may also 
view comments on the Advisory Committee simplification study at http://www.ed.gov/ACSFA.

    Dated: March 1, 2004.
Dr. Brian K. Fitzgerald,
Staff Director, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.
[FR Doc. 04-4900 Filed 3-4-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M