Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 94 Part 2.djvu/170

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PUBLIC LAW 96-000—MMMM. DD, 1980

94 STAT. 1448

PUBLIC LAW 96-374—OCT. 3, 1980 FORMS AND REGULATIONS

20 USC 1090.

20 USC 1070c, 1071. Contract authority.

contract authority.

Ante, p. 1407.

"SEC. 483. (a) The Secretary, in cooperation with representatives of agencies and organizations involved in student financial assistance, shall prescribe a common Federal financial aid application form to be used to determine the need and eligibility of a student for financial assistance under this title (other than under subpart 3 of part A and under part B). No student or parent of a student shall be charged a fee for processing the data elements of the form prescribed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, enter into not less than three contracts with States, institutions of higher education, or private organizations for the purpose of processing the application required under this subsection and issuing eligibility reports. The Secretary may also contract for additional services to assure coordination of financial aid from both Federal and nonFederal sources, and to provide information, training, and similar services to institutions, aid officers, counselors, lenders, parents and students. Nothing in this section shall prohibit States, institutions, or private organizations from simultaneously collecting data elements, in addition to the data elements prescribed by the Secretary, as may be necessary to determine the eligibility of a student for financial aid funds not covered by this title (or covered under subpart 3 of part A or under part B of this title). "(b) Copies of all rules, regulations, guidelines, instructions, and application forms published or promulgated pursuant to this title shall be provided to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives at least thirty days prior to their effective date. "(c) To help insure access to postsecondary education by providing early notice to students of their potential eligibility for financial aid, the Secretary is authorized to enter into contracts with States, institutions of higher education, and private organizations for the purpose of— "(1) developing a common pre-eligibility Federal financial aid form, "(2) distributing and processing such form on a year-round basis free of charge to students, and "(3) issuing on the basis of information reported by the student on such form a pre-eligibility index designed to estimate the amount of Federal (and, if feasible, non-Federal) funds for which the student might qualify in later completing and submitting the application form called for under this section. The Secretary shall widely disseminate the pre-eligibility form through post offices and other appropriate Federal installations, schools, postsecondary institutions, libraries, and community-based agencies, including projects assisted under subpart 4 of part A of this title. "STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

20 USC 1091.

"SEC. 484. (a) In order to receive any grant, loan, or work assistance under this title, a student must— "(1) be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an institution of higher education that is an eligible institution in accordance with the provisions of section 487; "(2) except as otherwise specifically provided, be carrying or planning to carry at least one-half the normal full-time workload