An amendment numbered 19 printed in House Report 110-523 to direct the Secretary of Education to conduct a study on the costs and benefits of making student aid available to less than half-time students. The Secretary would then make recommendations on how to best design a demonstration loan program targeted for less than half-time students.

1. Adds SEC. 814. STUDY OF AID TO LESS-THAN-HALF-TIME STUDENTS at the end of title VIII

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. 814. STUDY OF AID TO LESS-THAN-HALF-TIME STUDENTS.

   Inserted: (a) Study Required.--The Secretary shall conduct a study on making and expanding the student aid available under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to less-than-half-time students. The Secretary shall submit a report on the results of such study, including the Secretary's recommendations, to the authorizing committees not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.

   Inserted: (b) Subjects for Study.--The study required by this section shall, at a minimum, examine the following:

   Inserted: (1) The existing sources of Federal aid for less-than-half-time students seeking a college degree or certificate.

   Inserted: (2) The demand for Federal aid for less-than-half-time students and whether the demand is satisfied by existing sources of Federal aid, taking into consideration not only the number of less-than-half-time students currently seeking a college degree or certificate, but also any increase in the number of less-than-half-time students that may result from an expansion of Federal aid for less-than-half-time students seeking a college degree or certificate.

   Inserted: (3) The potential costs to the Federal Government and the potential benefits that could be received by students resulting from expanding Federal aid for less-than-half-time students seeking a college degree or certificate.

   Inserted: (4) The barriers to expanding Federal aid for less-than-half-time students, including identifying--

   Inserted: (A) statutory and regulatory barriers, such as student eligibility, institutional eligibility, need analysis, program integrity, and award amounts; and

   Inserted: (B) other factors that may limit participation in an expanded Federal aid program for less-than-half-time students.

   Inserted: (c) Recommendations to Be Provided.--The Secretary's recommendations under this section shall include recommendations for designing a demonstration student loan program tailored to less-than-half-time students. The recommendations shall include any required statutory or regulatory modifications, as well as proposed accountability mechanisms to protect students, institutions, and the Federal investment in higher education.

   Inserted: (d) Definitions.--As used in this section:

   Inserted: (1) the term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Education;

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   Inserted: (2) the term "authorizing committees" has the meaning provided in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by this Act;

   Inserted: (3) the term "less-than-half-time student" means a student who is carrying less than one-half the normal full-time work load for the course of study that the student is pursuing, as determined by the institution such student is attending.

   Original wording

   At the end of title VIII of the bill, add the following new section:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed