Acting Under Secretary Jamienne Studley will give opening remarks at the first of three negotiated rulemaking sessions being convened by the U.S. Department of Education, which will focus on Program Integrity and Improvement. The purpose of the committee will be to assist the Department in developing proposed regulations that deter fraud and ensure proper use of Federal Student Aid program funds, especially within the context of current technologies.
Studley's remarks will take place at 9:00 a.m., Wed., Feb. 19, at 1990 K St. N.W., 8th Floor Conference Center, Washington, D.C.
The Program Integrity and Improvement Negotiating Committee is comprised of two federal negotiators from the Department's Office of Postsecondary Education and 16 non-federal negotiators representing a range of affected parties and whom have experience and expertise on the subject matter, including: students, legal assistance organizations representing students, consumer advocacy organizations, state officials, financial aid administrators, business officers at postsecondary institutions, minority serving institutions, two and four year public institutions, private non-profit and for-profit institutions, distance education, third-party servicers, business and industry, lenders, banks and credit unions, and accrediting agencies.
Topics the committee is likely to address are:
- tCash management of funds provided under the title IV Federal Student Aid programs, including the use of debit cards and the handling of title IV credit balances.
- tClock to credit hour conversion.
- tState authorization for programs offered through distance education or correspondence education.
- tState authorization for foreign locations of institutions located in a State.
- tThe application of the repeat coursework provisions to graduate and undergraduate programs.
- tThe definition of “adverse credit” for borrowers in the Federal Direct PLUS Loan Program.
The Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss these and perhaps other issues on Feb. 19-21; March 26-28, and April 23-25. The goal of the committee is to develop proposed regulations that reflect a final consensus of the committee. Information about the Program Integrity and Improvement Committee and the list of negotiators on the committee can be found here.General information about negotiated rulemaking can be found here.