On October 23, the House overwhelmingly approved HR 3086, the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROS) Act of 2001, by a vote of 415 to 0. Eighty-two cosponsors joined 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee Chairman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) at the time of the bill's consideration. In his floor statement, Chairman McKeon noted: "As America mobilizes for the war against terrorism, students serving in our armed services need our full support. The Education Secretary needs the authority to act quickly to protect the interests of U.S. students as well as the integrity of the financial aid programs themselves."
The goal of HR 3086 is to accomplish that task.
Chairman McKeon continued, "Under the bipartisan HEROS bill, the Education Secretary can grant waivers so that reservists leaving their jobs and families may be relieved from making student loan payments, for a time; victims' families may be relieved from receiving collection calls from lenders, and consecutive service requirements for loan forgiveness programs may be considered uninterrupted.
"The waiver authority is similar to that provided to the Secretary during the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations in 1991.
"The Secretary of Education is in a unique position to act as ambassador between students, institutions of higher education, and the student aid community to ensure the necessary accommodations are provided to victims, their families, and our military personnel while, at the same time, ensuring the integrity of the student financial assistance programs.
"The bipartisan HEROS Act also expresses the sense of Congress that higher education institutions should provide a full tuition refund or credit to students who serve in the military during this national emergency and cannot complete a course for academic credit."
The Senate version, S 1570 was introduced October 18 by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). The Senate schedule for action is unknown.
By Marty Guthrie, NASFAA
Posted October 25, 2001 on the NASFAA Web Site www.nasfaa.org
Copyright 2001, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
Redistribution to nonmember institutions is prohibited
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