As the 2018-19 school year gets underway, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), along with U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Doug Jones (D-AL), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), re-introduced a bill to streamline the financial aid application process for graduate and undergraduate students, in an effort to help more underserved students have access to financial aid and attend college.
Specifically, the Simplifying Financial Aid for Students Act of 2018 would:
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Deem a student eligible for a “zero expected family contribution” determination if the student’s parents or the student are recipients of means-tested programs.
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Modify the simplified needs analysis formula by proposing a pathways approach based on income tax filing characteristics.
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Transform the FAFSA to use the most minimal set of data elements when assessing student need.
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Coordinate between the Department of Education, the Internal Revenue Service and other Departments and Agencies to deem eligibility for an automatic zero expected family contribution.
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Codify the use of prior-prior year data into law.
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Make FAFSA accessible for completion on a mobile device.
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Aim to make FAFSA accessible to more students by eliminating the Selective Service registration and prior drug convictions from student eligibility criteria for federal student financial aid.
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Streamline determinations and verification for homeless and foster youth and consolidate questions regarding homeless status on the FAFSA.
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Make DREAMers eligible for federal financial aid.