[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2007)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72947-72948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24947]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Parts 668, 674, 682, and 685


Federal Student Aid Programs (Student Assistance General 
Provisions, Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Direct Loan Program, 
Federal Family Education Loan Program)

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice extending the waivers and modifications of statutory and 
regulatory provisions pursuant to the Higher Education Relief 
Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003, Public Law 108-76.

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SUMMARY: We are extending the actions taken by the Secretary pursuant 
to the HEROES Act of 2003, as announced in a notice published in the 
Federal Register on December 12, 2003 (68 FR 69312), and extended in a 
notice published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2005 (70 FR 
61037).

DATES: Effective Date: December 26, 2007. Applicability Date: The 
actions announced in the December 12, 2003, Federal Register notice and 
extended in the October 20, 2005, Federal Register notice are 
applicable from September 30, 2007, until September 30, 2012.

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Macias, Office of Postsecondary 
Education, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 8017, 
Washington, DC 20006-8544. Telephone: (202) 502-7526. E-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you can 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) by contacting the contact person listed in this section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In a notice published in the Federal 
Register on December 12, 2003 (68 FR 69312), the Secretary exercised 
the authority granted to her by the HEROES Act of 2003 and announced 
the waivers and modifications of statutory or regulatory provisions 
that were appropriate to assist individuals who are applicants and 
recipients of student financial assistance under Title IV of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), and who--
     Are serving on active military duty during a war or other 
military operation or national emergency;
     Are performing qualifying National Guard duty during a war 
or other military operation or national emergency;
     Reside or are employed in an area that is declared a 
disaster area by any Federal, State, or local official in connection 
with a national emergency; or
     Suffered direct economic hardship as a direct result of a 
war or other military operation or national emergency, as determined by 
the Secretary.
    Under the terms of the HEROES Act of 2003, the Secretary's 
authority to provide the waivers and modifications would expire on 
September 30, 2005. On September 30, 2005, Pub. L. 109-78 extended the 
expiration date of the Secretary's authority to September 30, 2007. 
Accordingly, the Secretary extended the expiration of the waivers and 
modifications published on December 12, 2003, in a notice in the 
Federal Register published on October 20, 2005 (70 FR 61037).
    On September 30, 2007, the President signed into law Public Law 
110-93, which eliminated the September 30, 2007, expiration date of the 
HEROES Act of 2003, thereby making permanent the Secretary's authority 
to issue waivers and modifications of statutory and regulatory 
provisions under the HEROES Act of 2003. As a result, we are extending 
the waivers and modifications announced by the Secretary in the notice 
published in the Federal Register on December 12, 2003. The actions 
will remain in effect until September 30, 2012, unless the Secretary 
issues a notice in the Federal Register terminating or changing those 
actions before September 30, 2012.
    The Secretary intends to review the waivers and modifications 
published on December 12, 2003, in light of recent statutory and 
regulatory changes. After completing that review, the Secretary will 
consider whether to change some or all of the published waivers and 
modifications. Any changes to these waivers and modifications will be 
published in a notice in the Federal Register as required by the HEROES 
Act of 2003.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You can view this document, as well as other documents of this 
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable 
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the

[[Page 72948]]

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: 84.007 Federal 
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program; 84.032 Federal 
Family Education Loan Program; 84.032 Federal PLUS Program; 84.033 
Federal Work Study Program; 84.038 Federal Perkins Loan Program; and 
84.268 William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1071, 1082, 1087a, 1087aa, Pub. L. 
108-76, Pub. L. 109-78, Pub. L. 110-93.

    Dated: December 19, 2007.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. E7-24947 Filed 12-21-07; 8:45 am]
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